Uncharted 3: The Severed Connection
by Sariah Six
Summary: When Nathan drake is put into a Mental institution following an incident he can't quite explain, Elena Fisher stands by his side. Together with Sully and Chloe, they realize they must return to the El Dorado island to save the day and regain Nate's sanity
1. Public Speaking

**Uncharted 3: The severed connection**

**Chapter One: Public speaking**

* * *

"I must say, what an honour it is to invite our next guest onto the stage" beamed Professor Jefferys, his pair of bright blue eyes sparkling behind a pair of slipping bifocals. He hastily pushed them back up his wrinkled nose, grinning from ear to ear.

Although packed to the brim, the crowded lecture theatre occupants did not mirror his enthusiasm. Hundreds of students, mostly in their 20's were lethargic, whispering and shifting simultaneously, uncomfortable by the heat and the claustrophobic ambience.

In the back of the crowded auditorium, a man shifted somewhat uncomfortably in his seat. His hands were flicking the dog-eared corners of blue cue cards that were resting on his knee, which was nervously flexing up and down.

"Our speaker today is an ex-student of mine, well experienced in the field of exploration and restoration of ancient temples and artefacts" continued Professor Jeffereys. "He is also the son of the late Sandra Drake, a historian and archaeologist that contributed many articles to your curriculum text" He paused for a reaction from the students but got none. "It is my honour and privilege on behalf of staff and students in the Applied History and Archaeology Department to welcome Nathaniel Drake to the stage"

"That would be my cue" muttered the man. Nathan got out of his chair with a sheepish, embarrassed grin and gave a small wave to the students before hastily climbing through the rows of chairs to make it to the front.

The lecture hall of students murmured impatiently in their seats. Some politely applauded as Nathan made his way up to the front of the stage while others turned to the seat behind them to engage in a quick conversation.

He tapped the microphone twice and a resonating boom echoed through the great hall. He awkwardly attempted to adjust it to his height, as Professor Jefferys was a man of much shorter stature than himself. The microphone held its new position for a fraction of a second before limply falling back into place. All students' eyes were fixated on this display of gravity, as if it were something worth paying attention to. Nathan wished they wouldn't. He was already quite nervous, and now with the added bonus of having to lean over to speak into the microphone, he was already dreading the next few minutes.

"Good afternoon class" Nathan spoke. "I've been invited here today to discuss with you the importance of field training in the Archaeological exploration field" He took a deep breath and adjusted his cue cards. "Now…"

"Mr Drake?" called a rather large brunette from the middle row. She had her hand up in the air, her other arm supporting it as though she had been holding it up for some time.

"uh.. yes? Question already?"

The brunette looked smug. "Surely you can't believe our studies alone should be …. field work?"

Nathan looked a little confused. "I'm not sure where you're getting at" He stumbled. "Are you suggesting.. that is not important to go see what's out there for yourself?"

The girl had a funny look on her face. She seemed to be struggling not to laugh. "I am merely suggesting, Mr Drake, that it would seem more beneficial to concentrate on our studies"

Nathan immediately began to dislike this girl. _Like she's even ever done any fieldwork the fat bitch _he thought to himself "There's no better way to learn about history then to go experience it for yourself" He stammered. He adjusted his collar nervously. The lights on stage were causing beads of sweat to run down his face. The room was so hot as it is, the air inside suddenly felt as though it were sucked out in a vacuum. To top it off, he really wasn't accustomed to wearing a collared white shirt.

"Mr Drake, lets speak honestly here. Say, you had actually completed this degree that we are all studying.."

Nathan's eyes fell for a moment. "Excuse me? Wait…"

"Oh no its ok. We all know. Professor Jefferys told us last week that you failed this subject, module, class.." she gestured with her chubby hands. "Whatever. The point I'm getting to Mr Drake, is that you have had no reputable finds or discoveries whatsoever in the last decade you have considered yourself to be a field explorer"

"Well, just wait one second here…"

"You didn't complete your studies, therefore have no qualifications"

"Well no.. I didn't complete it…"

" What I am actually asking, is why should we believe that it is more important to be in the field when you never opened a text book the whole time you were here?"

Nathan gritted his teeth. The whole audience were alert in their chair, clearly loving how uncomfortable this student was making Nate feel. They were nodding in succession, muttering under their breaths.

When Nate failed to reply the woman spoke again. "I'm saying this Mr Drake because we know that you've contributed to a few archaeological journals and we are aware of very _brief_ aspects of your field work, but all this _success_, and I unfortunately use the term lightly, has, I assume, not paid your bills, has not had you professional published, and not left you professional regarded in the archaeological field"

Nate raised an eyebrow. "What defines success for you miss, is completely different to what I see"

She looked at him curiously. "What is success to you Mr Drake?"

The first thing that came to his mind was a vision of blonde hair tickling down a back. A shared kiss in the mountains of Tibet. Soft, parted lips.....But no. That moment had passed.

Nate sighed, startling himself at how much the microphone in front of him was able to pick up his exhale and amplify across the crowded room. This was no time to be thinking of her. Elena. How they had parted Tibet.

He shook his head. "Listen guys, if there is any advice I can offer you today that you will take with you and use its this it"

The murmuring came to a gradual cease

"My mother always told me you will never truly understand something, somewhere or someone until you love it.. Until you truly revel in its presence, after it makes you weak at the knees after your heart goes a mile a minute at the very thought of it.

"And that is how I feel about history. Thats how I feel when I stumble upon a ruin that hasn't been seen for centuries,. This is something you will never learn from books, and lectures. Its something you can only gain from seeing these marvels of history yourself. Only then, with love, will you truly understand"

His voice quavered slightly at the end as the image of blonde hair entered his mind again.. he gazed down at his hands in front of him, composing himself. He looked up after a beat, surprised to see the audience equally as quiet, fascinated by his words. Some were even scrawling notes frantically on note pads.

"Of course, sometimes the best advice is to always carry a big ass gun with you!" he joked. No one laughed with him. Everyone looked at him a little confused.

"Let me explain" he started. "See.. I was searching for the lost treasure of El...."

**BANG!!!!!!!!!!**

_(Would love to hear what people think. I will post more later if you like) - sariah_


	2. Star spangled Spaniards

**Chapter 2:**

**Star Spangled Spaniards**

"Look out!"

A creature snarled and hissed at him from the side of the room. Its eyes blank and a lifeless pool of black. It had entered the side door of the auditorium. Its jagged step and erratic movements catching Nate's eye as he was speaking.

It was a Spaniard from El Dorado.

Nate didn't have time to comprehend why or how the creature had found him or what it was doing there. In one swift movement he grabbed an American flag attached to a steel pole that was standing at the side of the stage and hurled it toward the creature.

People were screaming now, their anguished shouts, confused cries as they stumbled over each other, flailing towards the exit. Some ducking just in time as the flag pole sailed past their heads.

The pole struck the creature in the temple where it wavered slightly before echoing a hoarse and strangled cry. It was staring now directly at Nate, hunched over, before it collapsed to the floor, an open wound gushing black and tar-like blood down its head.

"Get down! Move now!!" He yelled over the screams of the students. He was pushing a bewildered and confused Proffessor Jeffereys off the stage when something slammed into his sight throwing him into the podium in the centre.

Dazed, he realised there was more than one.

It lunged at his throat, clawing at his face. Nate grabbed its frail wrists just in time. Wrists that held incredible strength despite being so twisted and contorted. He was face to face with the Spaniard, its eyes void of any humanity were darting back and forth. Its legs were curling up near Nate's chest as it attempted to strangle him, but he held on to its wrists so tight his fingers were aching.

With a grunt he managed to overpower the Spaniard, throwing it off him into the rows of chairs now left in a state of array from the students. Nathan stood up slowly, flexing his hands to release some pressure in his muscles.

"so you got yourself a little friend?" he asked the unconscious or possibly dead Spaniard who he had hit with the flagpole.

The other creature hissed and snarled at him, pulling back his lips to reveal black and pointy teeth.

Simultaneously, the creature jumped towards Nate teeth bared as he lept off the stage into a roll. The Spaniards left hand swiped the air just above where he had just been. But Nate wasn't finished yet. As he was coming out of the roll, his left hand grabbed the flag pole from the floor and swung it high above his head

He anticipated the crunching sound before it happened.

The creature had lunged again at Nate only to be impaled by the flag pole. The sound of its bones crunching, its organs piercing no better even after expecting it. It groaned and hissed until it became silent a moment later.

Nate stood up slowly, taking it all in. His hands were trembling with adrenaline, his head pounding with alertness but he was alive. He sighed, took his boot to the creature's stomach for support, and yanked out the flag pole.

At that moment the door to the auditorium swung open and 3 cops entered, guns cocked. Nathans fingers twitched subconsciously towards his belt where his pistol would usually sit. He shook his hand out and chuckled softly at his reaction to the weapons.

"It's ok. It's fine" Nate called to the cops as they cautiously approached him, weapons at the ready. "It's all cool. They're gone" he lazily swung the flag pole through his hands like a baton.

"Mr Drake put down the weapon" shouted one of the cops

Nate recoiled in surprise. "What?! I just saved your life!"

"Get down on the ground now!!" screamed the other cop, his gun pointed steadily at Nates head.

Nathan dropped to his knees, his hands automatically rested behind his head. " This is insane" he breathed.

"You're telling me" muttered one of the cops. He deliberately walked to Nate, his gun still aimed at his temple and pulled the flag pole out of Nate's hands.

"Oh good. You're hear Doc" said a voice behind Nate. He went to turn his head towards the source of the voice

"I said don't move" screamed the cop to his left.

"Ok Ok relax guys!.. jeez"

Obliging, Nate saw at the corner of his eye 2 men wearing matching grey uniforms carry in a stretcher. A greying, old doctor followed them fiddling with a syringe in his hand.

"What the hell is going on here?" Nathan spat out.

"Mr Drake, please relax. We're just going to get you out of here. Some place safe" said the doctor. He spoke softly and smoothly, as though he were addressing a child.

The two men placed the stretcher next to Nate as they took their positions bracing his arms and legs, supposedly to keep him from moving while the doctor administered whatever was in the injection he held. One man put his knee into Nates back and held his head against the floor. Nathan writhed uncomfortably underneath, his blood pounding in his ears. "There has got to be some kind of mistake" he pleaded. "I just saved the day! You saw those monsters. Look at their bodies"

He strained to gesture towards the creatures corpse which was lying near the floor of the stage when his heart skipped a beat.

The bodies were gone.

"They're gone.." he whispered. "They're loose! They're out there you gotta ... OW!"

A small sting suddenly gathered in his left hip which made him grimace slightly. Before his vision started to cloud over and his eyes began to waver he heard a doctor's voice cutting clearly through the fog.

"There was nothing there Mr Drake"


	3. Nathan Interuppted

**Chapter 3**

**Nathan Interrupted**

**

* * *

  
**

Elena Fisher took a deep calming breath. She lifted her hands in the air and lowered them as she exhaled, a technique she was taught by her father to calm herself down.

It wasn't working.

Elena was generally unflappable. She had held poisonous snakes on her show, interviewed notorious tribal leaders with a distaste for Americans, even eaten black widow spiders as they were considered a delicacy in the Humjai tribe.

But this.. she bit her lip nervously. Elena was in the elevator at the Jackson Memorial Hospital going to visit Nate.

In the psychiatric ward.

She had heard from Sully that he was in the hospital for reasons unknown. Sully was halfway across the world doing God knows what, and was unable to reach Drake. Elena had assured Sully she would figure out what the problem was and contact him as soon as she found out. That was until she actually arrived at the hospital and asked Nathan's room number.

And they had told her it was on the psych ward.

The elevator door jerked open with a ping and Elena stepped cautiously out into the ward. It seemed as though she was in the cafeteria. Her eyes scanned the room fast, the crowded room loud with the cries of the mentally ill. All were dressed in white; all were looking at her, staring straight at her but their eyes, not quite all there. Her breath was rapid and shallow. She was a bundle of nerves. _This was a mistake_, she decided_, he's not really here_. In one quick motion, she spun on her heel and walked back towards the elevator.

* * *

"Elena?!"

Nate's heart leapt forward as he saw the blur of blonde walking quickly towards the elevator. She whirled around at the mention of her name. Her lips tight and pressed together, her eyes scanning the source. Their eyes met, and she self consciously pushed a strand of blonde wispy hair behind her hair and adjusted the straps of her short black dress. Nathan looked across at her wearily at her and smiled. Elena looked stunning, _as_ _usual_, he thought smiling.

Today in particular, she was dressed to impress. She looked professional in a knee length black short dress with a grey blazer. On her feet, were the highest pair of black shoes Nate had ever seen her in and was impressed to see she walked with complete ease. They embraced for a moment. He almost got lost in her waves of angel hair, until reality snapped him back together.

"You look well Nate" she said.

This was far from true, and she was thankful they were still embraced so he could not see her face.

He scowled and hissed softly. She stiffened in his arms at his reaction. He pulled away from her.

"Don't say that" he said to her. He couldn't keep the edge out of his voice no matter how hard he tried.

Elena looked taken aback, slightly hurt. "What do you mean?"

Nate pulled a chair up to the table and gestured for her to sit down. "Everybody says that. You look well Nate. You're looking healthy" he ran his hair through his hands. "Please, just not you too. I just wanna feel normal"

There was a moment of silence between them before Elena took a deep breath and touched his arm lightly. "Can you tell me what happened?"

He shook his head. "Not really. What have you heard?"

She sighed. "Not much" she admitted. "The doctor told me that you were having hallucinations at a speech you were giving at the university. Freaked out a lot of people"

He nodded, leaning back in his chair. "Yep. That's what they say happened.."

"Then what did happen Nate?" she pressed on.

"I saw the Spaniards" he said quietly, not looking directly at her. " I saw the creatures"

Elena's eyes filled with tears. "No Nate, that's impossible"

"I saw them and they attacked me"

Elena shook her head hard. "No.. No Nate.. you didn't"

At that precise moment a flicker caught Nathan eye. It was but for a moment, a blur just behind Elena's shoulder. Something moving...

"I'm sorry" Elena continued. "It's just.. I'm worried about you"

But Nathan wasn't listening. The movement had caught his eye again. He was tracking it, he was certain he was looking right at it. But It was as though he were trying to focus on one spot when sitting in a fast moving car. His eyes kept involuntarily flickering away.

"How they were treating you here? You know my dad works at the facility in Madeline, just 30 minutes from here. He's a psycholo..."

"Elena.." Nathan looked at her horrified. " don't move"

The hairs on Elena's neck suddenly stood on end. Memories of El Dorado flooded into her mind in the space of a milli second. Her trigger finger tensed subconsciously.

"What is it?" she asked breathlessly.

For a moment Nathan didn't answer. He simply stared at her shoulder, his face completely blank.

"It's... not really here" he hesitated, almost whispering the words.

Elena sat forward to grab his hand when suddenly Nathan flew back in his chair landing on the linoleum.

"Nathan! Oh my God what it is?"

His fall had caught the attention of the guards who were patrolling the area. They dashed immediately to his side and gave him a hand up and back into his seat.

Nathan gave the guards a weary smile, "It's ok, I just leaned back a bit far on my chair" he gave them a sheepish grin.

Nate knew Elena didn't believe this for a second, but that was ok. As long as the guards did. As long as they didn't make a big deal out of this, tell the doctors, make him take more medication he didn't need.

Or did he? What had he seen? He scanned the room quickly.

It was gone. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Elena waited until the guards left again before continuing.

"Did you see them again?" she whispered, leaning in close so her sweet perfume was wafting in Nate's face.

He was about to reply when he suddenly felt a sharp stinging sensation on his chest. He rubbed it, grimacing a little.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked curiously.

"I don't know" he said wincing. "It hurts.."

The sensation was now beginning to feel more like a burn. Nate pulled open the top buttons of his shirt and leaned forward in pain, punching the table. At that moment a smell filled the air. _Can I smell burning flesh_? He wondered as the putrid stench overpowered the flowery scent of Elena.

Elena's eyes suddenly widened. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish and she pointed a shaky finger towards Nate's chest. "Nate.. What the hell is that?!!"

He followed her fingers and looked down in horror at his exposed chest. There was no denying it.

Freshly burnt into his chest was unmistakably, the shape of the chain and ring of Sir Francis Drake.


	4. The Southern Belle

**Chapter 4**

**The Southern Belle**

* * *

"Whats happening now?? Oh God! Whats happening?"

"Relax!"

"I can't just tell me please! I'm dying here! You have to tell me this is torture!!"

Nathan was pleading with the guard outside his door. He was lying on the cold tiled floor, his head resting against the crack at the bottom of the door, straining his neck in an effort to hear what was going on outside.

"Ok ok man" said the guard's voice. "It looks like Carrie and Mr Big might be getting back together, but I might be speaking prematurely"

Nathan sighed and rolled onto his back. "This is torture. They know they're just not good for each other"

"Hey now" the guard said a little annoyed. "Sure they may have their obstacles, but they've been through the worst. Now they can survive anything"

Nathan bit his lip. "Maybe" he added after a while. "Maybe not"

The relationship Nathan had formed with the man that stood outside his door every night watching Sex and the City was a strange one, but it had its advantages. For one, the guard loved Nathans meds, which he gladly traded the pills for his newspaper every day. Secondly, the guard watched TV all night, and if Nathan squinted through the cracks int he door, he could just make out Carrie Bradshaw's Manolo Blahnicks. And thirdly, it kept him awake to have someone to talk to.

The dreams had started a few days after the incident with Elena. He would dream about blackness, darkness no images at all. Just sounds. The sounds of the Spaniards breathing next to his ear, or screaming, hissing, eating....

He shivered. He couldn't handle the dreams. He couldn't handle this place, the therapy the doctors. They just wouldn't understand.

_No one does. Not even Elena_

She had just simply left the day the burn appeared on his chest. She had looked gobsmacked, surprised and fearful. And she had simply walked away.

He sighed. "Maybe not" he repeated.

Nathan heard the guard move his chair abruptly before he suddenly jerked into a standing position, flickering off the TV in one go. There was a mumbled conversation between the guard and someone who had just entered the room.

Nathan frowned slightly and leaned in closer to the door, trying to listen in, when suddenly it swung open and he fell flat on his side.

"Mr Drake"

Nathan looked up from the ground at the sight of Dr Grayson, the head psychiatric doctor of the ward. A small, stout balding man with a baby face, the doctor had been kind to Drake, albeit, rather patronizing at times. Nathan couldn't help but feel sorry for the short man who seemed to like the upper hand against mentally ill patients.

"How's the weather down there?" the doctor asked amused as he gave Drake his hand.

"Brighter now you're here" Nathan said sarcastically. He took his hand for support and stood up, mumbling thanks.

"Hi honey" called a familiar voice behind the doctor

At first Nathan thought he was dreaming. Or hallucinating. Or both. Before he could react his face was suddenly seized into a rather passionate kiss by none other than Chloe Frazer, standing before him with her arms casually wrapped in his embrace.

When he came up for air she didn't allow him a second to speak.

"My darling" she crooned in a thick southern accent. "I was so concerned about your well-being I simply couldn't sleep at night. Even with all that valium I take" She curled her arms around his waist, her eyes screaming for Nate to play along.

"Really.. uh.. sweetie that's horrible"

Chloe nodded ecstatically. "Yes Yes.. I know. So I simply had to do something about it!" She placed a finger in her mouth, biting it with a coy little school girl smile.

Her southern accent was atrocious, but Nathan figured she put it on to play a part. That and the dress. He had never seen Chloe Frazer in a dress the whole time he had known her. Now, she was wearing a light airy white dress with frills and flower patterns all over. Her dark hair pulled in two pig tails with long white ribbons.

Nate looked at Doctor Grayson, who seemed a little mesmerized by Chloe's movements. He suddenly understood that Chloe was doing a little show for the Doctor. She had picked his type.

"What did you do about it sweetie?" Nate asked pulling her towards him.

"Your lovely wife has asked you to be moved closer to your place of residence Mr Drake" Dr Grayson butted in. Chloe flashed him a brilliant smile and his cheeks immediately turned a rosy pink.

"As of tomorrow, you will be transferred to Madeline state psychiatric hospital" he said, once he had recovered his voice.

"Madeline" Nathan repeated. He resisted the urge to smile when he realized that Elena had told him about her father's position at Madeline.

"The paperwork is already been sent. Doctor Fisher is sending his daughter out to collect you" He said.

Nathan nodded. "Ok thanks Doc. Thanks for everything"

"Oh no. Thanks your beautiful wife Mr Drake" Doctor Grayson squeaked. Chloe was in the process of fiddling with the straps of her bra, pouting her lips a little and seemingly oblivious to the Doctors lingering gaze. Nathan knew Chloe too well, _she good_ he thought. _She's got him hook line and sinker_

"Well, we must retire Mrs Drake. Nathan needs to get his rest" The Doctor pulled Chloe gently towards the door and she flashed Nathan a sneaky smile. "Of course" she said. "Til tomorrow my love" She put her hand up dramatically.

Nathan resisted the urge to burst out laughing. "Til tomorrow" he echoed.

When they had gone Nathan pumped his fist in the air, something he wanted to do since Chloe had entered the room. This meant one thing. Not only was he busting out of here tomorrow, they believed him.

Nathan idly touched the burn on his chest which was now scaring faint and pink.

_We get out of here, then what?_


	5. The plane

**Chapter 5**

**The plane**

* * *

"Then we land here,---- just left of the chapel that you discovered the monsters in last time!" Chloe yelled over the roar of the planes engine, her finger pointy vaguely at a hand drawn map Sully had drawn on a bar napkin.

It was very early the next day. After Elena and Chloe had convincing signed all paperwork regarding Nathan's _"transfer"_ to her fathers psychiatric ward in Madeline, they had called long time companion, Victor Sullivan and asked for his assistance. Although Nathan knew Sully would be more than hesitant about returning to the island, he was oddly compliant, which lead Nathan to believe it had something to do with Chloe and her incredible powers of persuasion. When Nate questioned him about it, he had replied he simply wanted to try out his new plane.

While the plane certainly seemed more durable and steady than the previous, the weather often caused it to take sudden small dips which resulted in the cabin shaking momentarily. Sully and Chloe were strapped in front, piloting the plane through the heavy winds, while Elena and Nate were seated further behind them. The sound caused by the dips was loud and vibrated through the chairs Elena and him were strapped into. The vibration would in turn, run through their skulls like jackhammers. Elena squeezed her eyes shut at every dip, whereas Nathan welcomed it. He was still hearing things, and it seemed to keep the sounds of the Spaniards out of his head.

"I heard some of the students were giving you a hard time?" Elena asked with a smile.

"Not so much I couldn't handle" He replied. "How did you hear about that anyway?"

Elena looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment. "You tube" she said guilty.

Nate laughed. "I'm on you tube?"

She returned his smile. "Yeah... one of the students filmed you're little... episode. Posted it that day"

"Wow I guess I'm famous" he said sarcastically. "that outta show that fat bitch"

Elena laughed. "You mean the one who asked you to define success"

"Yeah. the only field work she'd ever done was on Sally Fields cookie shops I'll tell ya that"

Elena laughed her eyes twinkling. "Oh come on. You're being too harsh on her. Besides, she's the new generation of you! They all are"

Nate shook his head. "If anything, my mum getting sick was a blessing. I quit college to look after her, and if I hadn't well, I could have turned out like that bunch. They get a cramp from turning the pages in their textbooks"

Elena looked at him quizzically. "You gave up your education to look after your mum?"

Nathan nodded. "Yeah I did. Truthfully, I loved the essays, loved the lectures. But she got ill a semester in, and well.." Nate looked a little uncomfortable. "There was just me" he said finally. He turned to look out the window, He felt something clasp his hand and looked down to see Elena holding it tightly. They gazed at each other for a split second, before she pulled her hand away, slightly embarrassed.

"Look" called Chloe. "There's the island"

They all turned to the left window to take a look at the site. Apart from all the danger and horrors that had been experienced on the island, Nathan had to admit to himself, it was a truly spectacular sight.

"Lets not do any sky diving this time" chuckled Elena.

"Be about 20 minutes" called Sully.

Nate sighed and stretched back into his chair. He absentmindedly touched the scarring on his chest, lost in his thoughts. he broke out of his daze when he realized Sully had turned in the pilot seat to look at Nate with an odd expression on his face.

"what?" Nathan asked him off his look.

Sully looked confused. "What did you just say Nate?"

"Uh...Nothing?"

Elena frowned. "You just said something about a ship" she said.

Nate shook his head. "I said nothing"

Chloe, who at first glance seemed oblivious to the conversation, chimed in "He said the ship wants to leave"

Nathan's heart skipped a beat. "I don't know... why I said that.. I don't even remember saying anything"

Elena looked at him worried. "Maybe you should get some sleep Nate, you look tired--"

"I'm fine" he interrupted. "Just... a little confused with what's going on"

"You're not crazy" called Sully from the front. "You know that don't you?"

Nate touched the burn on his chest unconsciously. "Yeah... I know"

Chloe's laugh echoed from the cock pit. "You give crazy a run for its money though. You played the part pretty well yesterday with that English accent you put on when I came in yesterday. "

Nate sat up a little straighter. "What accent? You're the one who put on the accent" he asked confused.

He was starting to feel a little nervous and Elena noticed his agitation. "What do you mean Chloe?" she asked looking back at Nate curiously.

"Yesterday, when I went to get Nate transferred" Chloe said matter of factly. " I put on a southern accent to... well, entice the doc. And Nate here followed suit with a phony English accent"

Nates blood ran cold. " I didn't –"

"It was pretty convincing though Nate, you'd make a good ol' English Chap" she said.

There was a moment of silence before Nathan stuttered back "uh.. thanks Chloe" he replied.

Nathan ignored Elena's eyes on him as he closed his eyes. _What was Chloe talking about?_ Yesterday he had spoken to her and the doctor, but he certainly wasn't speaking with an English accent. Had he?

"Guys, we should be touching down in about 2 minutes" called Sully over the loud roar of the engine.

Nate cleared his throat and sat up straight. He thought he caught Chloe eyeing him suspiciously in the review mirror, but her eyes darted away a second later. He could still feel Elena's eyes on him. She knew he was keeping something from her.

All Nathan knew was they were about to get some answers. And in his mind, above the screams and above the wails of the Spaniards cries, he was praying as loud as he could that the answers they found would prove that he was not going out of his mind.

_Thanks guys for the feedback it really makes me wanna keep going, i'll post more! - Sariah_


	6. Windows to the soul

**Chapter six**

**Windows to the soul**

* * *

"What exactly are we looking for here?"

The question stopped everyone to a halt. They all turned to face Chloe who was looking at them all expectantly after asking the question that everyone had on their lips since they boarded the plane.

Nate suddenly realized they were all looking at him for an answer.

"Not quite sure" he admitted. "Anything. Anything that can possibly explain what's happening to me"

Sully pulled a cigar from his pocked and shrugged.  
"Works for me" as he lit a match and held it against the tip.

"Well, not quite for me" said Chloe her arms folded.

It was almost sunset. They had been walking around the jungle for at least 3 hours now, barely speaking, their hands never leaving the general area of their gun holsters. They were all on edge, all aware of what horrors inhabited the island. And with no direction, both literally speaking and figuratively, Chloe was starting to get impatient

"What is exactly happening to you Nate?" she asked, resting his hand on his arm.

He flinched slightly at her touch, aware that Elena's eyes were on Chloe's hand.

"I don't know Chloe. All I know it's somehow connected to this place"

Sully's eyes surveyed the jungle trees.

"Well, we should start thinking about where we are going to set up camp for the night--" he started.

"Sshh what is that?" Nate said cocking his head up.

Everyone was silent for a moment; Chloe pulled her hand away from Nate's and touched her gun reflexively.

"I don't hear anything" Elena said after a while. "What does it sound like Nate?"

But Nathan was moving, he darted past her without a word spoken and pulled back leaves just behind her feet. He froze and his heart skipped a beat when he realised he was face to face with a Spaniard creature.

Elena screamed behind him but he grabbed her arm "Its ok.. It's ok" he said. He leaned down closer to the Spaniard, and began pulling away some of the grass which surrounded it to get a better view.

"It's just a body" Elena realised, her voice stammering. She suddenly felt a little foolish at her reaction. She could see perfectly now that the Spaniard was limp and staring unblinking into the sky. She crouched down helping Nate pull away the leaves

"There's another one over here" Chloe called.

Nate leant down over the corpse and pushed it gingerly with his finger so it faced upright. The contorted figure of the creature was surprisingly light at his touch. Behind him, Chloe let out a strangled cry.

She had leaped back suddenly from the corpse as though burnt. Her eyes were wide in shock, her finger pointing at the corpse her hand trembling. No words came out her mouth, she seemed to be lost for words.

"What is it Chloe?" called Elena

"I........" she stammered.

It was perhaps the first time Nathan had ever seen that look on Chloe Frazer. Pure fear. He jumped up, and ran towards the body that she had discovered. It looked just as dead as the other.

"But... It's dead right?" asked Sully nervously.

Nate nodded. "Well it's certainly not asleep" he mused. He prodded the Spaniard with his food. "Its definitely not breathing"

"Do they breathe?" asked Elena. "How did it even die? There's no markings or wounds"  
Behind her, Chloe was walking as though on a tight rope, her hands outstretched before coming to a stop at a small boulder and sitting down. Nate could see from where he was standing she was trembling.

"Chloe are you ok?" Nathan asked frowning. Sully suddenly perked up after hearing this, and darted to her side.

"I'm fine" she said after a beat. "Just... caught me by surprise... you know...." she managed to get a weak smile out.

_What caught her by surprise?_ Nate wondered. He stared at her curiously, her behavior was confusing him.

"Let's keep moving" suggested Elena. "This place.. just gives me the creeps"

Suddenly a loud sound filled the air making them all jump.

"What the hell was that?" growled Sully.

"It came from over there" said Elena. She pulled off her backpack that slung around her bare shoulders. She pulled out a pair of rather expensive looking binoculars and peered through. The others waited for her verdict expectantly.

"Its a ship's horn" said Elena,

"A ship?" repeated Sully. "You're kidding. More pirates?"

Nate squinted through a pair of binoculars. "No.. looks naval.. I think I dunno. Lots of people though" he clenched his teeth shut, angrily. "Just what we need"

"What do you mean Nate?"

"The equipment their using. Underwater trekkers. Machines that scan the ocean floor"

"You mean..." Elena put her hand to her mouth in surprise.

Nate nodded. "They're after the cursed statue"

**Apologies for the lateness in the update. Christmas and what not. Thanks to everyone whose reviewed nd favourited!!- sariah**


	7. Beached and broken

**Chapter seven**

**Beached and Broken  
**

* * *

"What do you think?" whispered Elena, her hand pulling apart the thick jungle leaves to get a better view.

Sully exhaled loudly, a puff of cigar smoke blowing in Elena's face which caused her nose to involuntarily wrinkle.  
She bit her lip nervously. This isn't quite what she had been expecting, a massive army marine liner, docked as close to the church as the shore could take them. _But really_, Elena thought to herself, _what really had she expected to find here?  
_

The second she had heard about Nate breaking down, her heart had physically ached. Her stomach felt nauseated, her head pounded with migraines. Such a reaction had never happened before with other man Elena had dated. There was no denying the intensity of their relationship, their feelings for each other, this connection.

But this connection, this likeness was the reason for their downfall. Elena knew it to be so. They were too alike. They were so focused on their jobs, curiosity being their sins. He had taken a job as soon as he got back from Tibet. She had waited patiently for him and healed from her wounds. When his job was over, Elena was back on her show, filming in Indonesia. When she was done with that, Nate was in Egypt for a month exploring catacombs and the great pyramids.

_The timing just wasn't right_ she thought glumly.

She gazed at him for a moment, taking in his bloodshot eyes, his week old stubble, the lines appearing at his forehead when he was deep in thought. _He looks ill_, she thought. In fact, if Elena had to describe the way Nathan Drake was looking at the present moment she would have to say he looked like someone suffering from the flu who just drank 10 red bulls in one sitting. He was pale, his eyes sunken as though he hadn't slept for days, but there was a definite air of energy surrounding him. It felt electric.

"Let's go" whispered Nate.

Elena was suddenly jolted out of her daze. "Excuse me?"

"Let's go" Nate gestured to the marine camp. "We'll sneak into that main tent over by those guys with the weapons" he pointed at a small team of marines who were cleaning their weaponry by a small table.

"Are you nuts Nate? We can't sneak past these guys" hissed Elena

"Hey you two, don't wanna interrupt your thrilling conversation.." called Sully from behind them "But Chloe's not looking too good, we might just hang back here"

Elena turned around to see Chloe smiling weakly , obviously embarrassed by her state. She was sitting with her knees curled up against her chest, breathing a little heavily. She looked pale still a little shaky from the earlier events.

"No problem. Lets go Elena" Nate said grabbing her hand.

"We haven't thought this through..." pleaded Elena

"Trust me. I have it all under control"

* * *

"Nathan Drake. I'm an archaeologist explorer" he held out his hand for the man to shake.

"Lieutenant S. Hawkins of the American Marines" said the man not offering his hand in return. "What can I do ya for Mr Drake?"

Though Elena had to admit, Nate had gotten them further than she had expected, she still couldn't help but scowl at him as they were introduced to the Lieutenant in charge. They had been skulking around for a little over 5 minutes before two pairs of rough hands seized them up and marched them through the camp, parading them as prisoners for all to see. Now, Elena wasn't so sure how much trouble they were actually in. The lieutenant had dismissed his men once they arrived, she wasn't handcuffed, and the lieutenant didn't seem to be carrying any weapon.

Well, any she could see at least.

Elena studied the man standing in front of Nathan. He was tall, muscular with graying hair and a small scar running horizontally through his upper lip. He gave off a presence extreme authority. If Elena hadn't known he was in charge by his introduction it would be no trouble picking him out of the lot. He was exuding authority, she could feel it, but something else was coming through she couldn't quite put her finger on....

"I was just wondering about the nature of your visit. What exactly are you and your team doing out here?" Nate asked pleasantly

The Lieutenant was silent for a moment looking back and forth at Nate and Elena. He gestured for them to follow him towards a few fold out chairs set up under a large tent which offered relief from the still warm setting sun. They sat down while the lieutenant stood facing the ocean. He pointed far out into the distance of the water.

"I think you know why we are here Mr Drake" he said finally.

Nate looked at his hand. "You're not going to find it" he said softly.

Elena and the Lieutenant turned to look at Nate in surprise.

"The idol" he explained off her look. "It's untraceable by their machinery. It can only be seen by the human eye"

"Is that so?" smiled the lieutenant. "That would explain a lot"

"How did you know? That me and Nate were here before?" asked Elena curiously.

"You can't hide that much gunfire and fatalities from the government ma'am" said Hawkins. "No matter how remote the island is. They know you must have found something. We just followed the trail"

"How did you know it's in the ocean?" she pressed

"That..." started the lieutenant. "Is a difficult story. We were setting up camp here when we felt a sudden sonic boom. Or perhaps even a mild earthquake, we're not quite sure"

"When did this happen?" asked Nate, Elena was suddenly sure of the answer.

Hawkins shrugged. "A few days ago perhaps"

_When his symptoms started _finished Elena in her head.

"Anyway, we traced the signal to the water. The only place we hadn't looked yet. It made sense"

"So what, you're sending your diving team down their next?" Nate asked grinning. He put his hands behind his head. "Good luck. That could take the better part of.. oh I don't know.. a hundred years.. scanning that whole ocean floor"

Lieutenant Hawkins gave a wry smile. He pulled up the empty chair and sat down. "It would appear so"

"We were exploring some of the areas around your camp and we came across a few bodies" pressed Elena stepping in front of Nate. "Was that your men's work?"

"Those creatures" the Lieutenant asked and Elena nodded. "Wait...A_ few _bodies?" he repeated with a curious look.

Elena nodded.

Lieutenant Hawkins looked at her oddly. "We have counted at least 100 dead bodies surrounding this camp area. It was the work of none of my men. They were here when we arrived"

"100 bodies? No that's impossible. We walked right through the surrounding jungle and saw just two" countered Elena.

The lieutenant frowned. "They're all over this area, hidden away. Some up trees, hidden in the tall grass. All dead. All hiding. You probably weren't looking hard enough"

"That's strange" mused Nathan. "What were they hiding from?"

"And why didn't they move from their hiding spots when they were getting killed?" added Elena.

The Lieutenant sighed. "Your guess is better than mine. I'm open to suggestions"

Nate pulled his chair in closer to the man. "So here's a suggestion. I'm telling you guys. It's time for you to pack up and....

"---We're not staying" interrupted Hawkins.

"----Get the hell out of.. wait hang on what?"

"I can assure you that we will be off the island by tomorrow morning" he said not quite meeting Nate's eyes.

"Any particular reason for the sudden departure?" Elena asked quizzically

The colonel shook his head. "None whatsoever" he said with a perfect poker face.

"Right" she folded her arms.

The lieutenant's expression did not waver but there was a definite air of defeat about a just audible sigh that escaped his lips. Suddenly, Elena realised this was what she could feel from Hawkins when she had first sussed him out. Defeat.

"I'm concerned about the health of one of my crew members"

There was a moment of silence between them before Elena broke it. "Go on"

"One of my crew members has begun acting a little strange. He started seeing things that weren't there. Talking about monsters that weren't there"

Elena glanced ever so slightly at Nate in her peripheral vision but he looked unaffected by this information, or if he was, he certainly wasn't showing it.

"May we go visit this man?" asked Nathan hopefully, eyeing Hawkins

Colonel Hawkins frowned. "Why?"

Nathan shrugged. "As you know sir, me and Elena have been here before and have had experiences with this island that you couldn't possibly comprehend. You said it yourself, my guess is better than yours"

The Lieutenant stared at Nate thoughtfully for a moment before he nodded slowly.

**"Go ahead. Knock yourself out. But don't say I didn't warn you...."**


	8. Locked in the cage

**Chapter Eight**

**Locked in the cage**

* * *

They were led onto the ship by a small team of marines. Nate, bristling with energy, walked eagerly behind them, desperate for some answers.  
"We'll be just outside" said one of the marines, coming to a stop outside a descending iron staircase.

At the bottom was a heavy iron door with a number of latches and locks. Some appeared new, Nate noticed. He wondered how exactly dangerous was this man they were about to face.

"After you" he said to Elena with an open arm gesture. She looked suprise and he smacked his head a little.

"Sorry. I forgot that chivalry doesn't apply when we could be walking to our doom" he said with a smile.

She laughed a little too loud. Nervous, Nate concluded.

"No need to be scared ma'am. He is totally incompacitated. Locked in an iron cage, there is no way he's getting out of there" said the marine, noting Elena's state.

"A cage?" Elena frowned wrinkling her nose.

"we would accompany you ma'am, but.." the marine hesitated, his eyes shut for a moment. "You have to understand, this man was a friend of ours. A colleague. And to see him like this..."

Nate nodded, "I understand. Come on Elena lets go"

At the first sight of the bowels of the ship, Elena couldn't fathom that she was still on the same boat. It was a huge hanger-like area, the roof barely visible above them. The space seemed illogical in comparison to the size it portrayed on the beach. It was a few degrees cooler, and very dark in the room, she could barely make out her own feet in front of her. The space stretched for what seemed like miles, and their footsteps echoed against the walls, reverbing loudly down the massive area.

"Why do they have a cage down here Nate?" asked Elena, very carefully navigating her feet.

He shrugged. "I dunno. Cargo maybe?" he proposed.

Elena frowned. "What kinds of cargo were they expecting to carry that would require a cage?"

A low audible hiss answered their question.

At first glance, the cage in the center of the room appeared empty, but lurking in the darkness, Nate could just perceive an outline of a man, hunched over and pacing quietly back and forth. He was covered in shadow, but Nate could just make out a pair of eyes, wide and staring.

Nate could hear Elena fumbling around the walls with her hands until they came at a rest. "I think I've got a light switch Nate. Should i?... she asked, her voice slightly trembling and he nodded in reply.

The fluorescent lights boomed on suddenly, and the man in the cage howled and covered his eyes in retaliation. His voice sounded strained and hoarse, and somewhat inhuman. Like an animal crying in pain.

Once the spots had cleared from Nate's eyes he took a good look at the man in front of him.

Dressed in what appeared to be army fatigues, the man looked almost like a strung out drug addict. Red circles around his eyes, a yellow parlor to his complexion and skin that looked as though he had been clawing at himself for days. The man was absolutely drenched with what appeared to be water, but on a closer inspection, was probably more likely to be sweat. His forehead was dripping with it, but he was unmistakably trembling as if cold.

"Hello?" called Nate hopefully.

The man's eyes were wild, darting across the room as though he were watching a fast paced tennis match. A think line of saliva dripped from his teeth which looked to be stained with blood.

"Nate.. whats wrong with him?" asked Elena fearfully.

Nate did not answer her. He leaned in to the cage

The man snarled at Nate bearing his teeth. "I don't know" he admitted. "But.. something about this man seems familiar..."  
Nate's voice trailed off as he circled the cage, keeping a good foot away from arms reach. The man's eyes followed Nate with every move he made.

"Familiar?" Echoed Elena, who was standing as far back as the room could allow. Her hand curled up her spine until she located a door handle behind her. She played with the handle behind her back, making sure there was still a way out if needed and they hadn't been locked in.

"Yeah.." said Nate softly. "He's acting... like one of those creatures"

The man suddenly banged against the cage doors. Elena and Nate both jumped in shock.

"Nate..? is that going to happen to you?" asked Elena.

Nate sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask that question"

"Why?" she asked.

"Because its the question I don't want to ask myself"

There was a heavy silence between them as they both watched the man twitching and writhing, pacing the cage. Nate squinted at the man's fatigues.  
"Davidson" he read off the pocket area. "Davidson.. Can you hear me?"

Davidson took a small step back and lunged at him in reply, a loud clang echoed through the ships room, as the cage door buckled.

"Guess not.." Nate sighed. He started for the door "Lets get out of here--"

_"You"_

Their was no doubt in Nate's mind where the source of the word came from. It sounded as desolate and as wild as its owner. He turned to Davidson curious.

"Me?" asked Nate, stepping a little closer.

Davidson lunged at the cage again, this time, the door bent, buckling slightly against his weight. Nate was close enough to see a hinge pull slightly apart from the stress. He looked up at Davidson to see that he was far back from the cage doors and prepping himself for a run up.

"uh.. Elena.." said Nate horrified, backing up against the wall.

"What is it?"

"We gotta get out of here!"

No sooner then he finished his sentence, the door to the cage swung open with the weight of the man's charge. It happened too fast for Nate to comprehend and before he knew it, the man was on Elena, pulling her hair and dragging her into the cage.

Elena struggled and screamed, her hands instinctively grabbing frantically in all directions for something to hold on to. Davidson pulled her effortlessly with one hand, her body screeching against the linoleum, as Nate tried without success to pry his hands off her.

Davidson snarled at Nate and threw his hand back, which connected to the side of Nate's temple. Nate crumpled to the floor, his vision wavering. He tried desperately to get to his feet, but was overcome by an intense burning in his chest which made him scream in pain.

The mark on his chest felt as though it were on fire. Nate pulled at his shirt, ripping the neckline and clutching his skin with both hands, howling. He fell onto his side, his screams becoming softer and softer, his vision, blacker and blacker.

The last thing he saw was Elena's horrified eyes and her hands reaching out for Nate's as she disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

And then he woke up.  
He was standing on the beach again, where he had just spoken to Hawkins.

"What the?" Nate started.

He whirled around fast, looking for some kind of direction or clue to explain how he had suddenly materialized out of nowhere.

But now it was completely deserted. A heavy fog surrounded him, thick, obscuring the horizon from his vision.

"Ok... I'm not in Kansas anymore. I get it" he said softly.

_I must have passed out. I'm dreaming_ he thought rubbing his hands through his hair._ Wake up wake up wake up! I have to save Elena!!_

He glanced down at himself and did a double take  
"What the hell am I wearing?"

* * *

"Should we go see whats going on? They've been gone along time"

Sully waited for Chloe to reply but got no answer. He sighed and poked aimlessly the small fire he was tending to.

"Chloe?" he called. No answer.

It had been at least 2 hours since they left Nate and Elena, and Sully had rightfully concluded Chloe was in no shape to go fighting or exploring or whatever the hell they were doing.

Since then , Chloe hadn't said a word. She was curled up about 15 feet away, her legs up to her chest. Occasionally, Sully saw her look up at him with a bewildered expression as though she had no idea where she was, but she had gone quiet and not moved for some time now.

"Chloe? I'm coming over ok?"

Although he really didn't want to, Sully walked away from the comfort of the fire. He felt slightly nervous, he wondered if Chloe had done a Nate. Blown a few circuits in her head, acting a little strange.

_Was it contagious_? He wondered._ Is that it?_ He stepped back slightly and contemplated going back.

_Be a man_ he scolded himself. _She's just a girl._

_Maybe crazy.. with a loaded gun._

Sully pulled a cigar from his pocket and lit it carefully with his zippo. He took a big inhale and leaned in to Chloe. He touched her shoulder gently which flinched slightly at his touch. It was drenched with sweat. As though she had been swimming.

"Chloe?" Sully asked. He pulled back a strand of her hair to see her face

Her hand flew up in a swift movement that caught Sully by surprise. It grabbed his arm and swung it expertly behind his back.

"Chloe! What are you doing?" Sully groaned as he struggled against her grip. She pushed him hard into the air with abnormal strength and he flew into the trunk of a tree, landing hard on the soft grass. His shoulder burnt, dislocated from the impact.

"No one. And I mean no one...." Chloe was saying as she walked up to Sully, lying helplessly on the floor. Sully watched, defeated, as she lifted her foot and promptly stepped it towards his face.

He felt his nose shatter under her steel tipped boot. The blood filled his nose and his mouth as his eyes started to fade with unconsciousness.

He could dimly see her crouching down to his level, her eyes wild but focused. She stared at Sully with a strange smile on her face. She said something to him, and landed another blow down on the side of his temple with her clenched fists. He went limp, her final words to him echoing through his consciousness as it gave up holding on.

_"...no one messes with Eddy Raja"_


	9. The figures in the fog

**Chapter nine:**

**The figures in the fog  
**

* * *

"ELENA!!"

His hands cupped like a megaphone, Nathan had been wearily calling out into the fog that surrounded him for what seemed like hours, but was probably more likely an hour.

It just made no sense to him. To have been standing in one spot one moment, and all of a sudden, be somewhere completely different the next.

And what completely addled Nathan, was the fact that everything felt so real. So real in fact, it could in no way be attributed to a hallucination or a dream. He was certain of that.

For one thing, the sand sunk slightly at every step Nathan took and the sun felt warm and pleasant against his back. He even could feel the wind gently touching his face.  
This was no dream.

He was dressed in a royal blue blazer, with cut off gold trim at the sleeves. The blazer was embroidered with an array of swirls and patterns delicately woven throughout. A high neck white collar chaffed his neck slightly and a military style roped pattern was sewn on the breast, resembling the clothing of a commander or a general.  
_In perhaps the 14__th__ century._

There was nothing to be seen around him but the heavy thick fog that seemed to float aimlessly around him. It obscured his view, making it difficult to see his black leather shoes in front of him.

"I don't have time for this!" he called angrily, not quite sure of whom exactly he was talking to.

As if in reply, a small whimpering sound suddenly became audible. It was soft, and strained, coming from his left.  
Nate took a few tentative steps forward.

"Hello?" he called out hopefully.

No reply.

He squinted slightly in the distance. He wasn't sure if it were his imagination, but he was sure he had just seen an outline of something through the fog. He broke out into a quick stride towards it, biting through the mist.

When he got closer, he realized he had been right. It was merely an outline. A silhouette, if you will. A transparent silhouette of a person, a man perhaps, flickering into existence, not yet taking full form.  
And another.  
And another.  
Nate's stomach turned uneasily. There were more now that he was aware of them. At least 10. 20 maybe. Figures of men, not quite corporeal.

He reached out and touched one gingerly. As expected, his hand swam right through, not making contact with anything physical.

He bit his lip nervously. _What is going on here _he wondered. _Where am I?_

A noise broke his train of thought. The whimpering, suddenly directly behind him. He whirled around.

"Chloe?" Nate gasped.

She was curled in a ball, lying in the sand, her hands covering her eyes. How he had missed her before, Nate had no idea. He must of walked right past her.

She looked almost like a frightened young girl, her clothes enveloped her like a kid who had gone through their parents closet. She was a fully solid figure, and he automatically leant down to comfort her, to hold her. He touched her on the hip lightly but she only continued to sob and shake. It seemed as though she was saying something through her strangled sobs.

Nate moved his head closer to hers to listen.  
_ "We're not alone"_

Nate looked up from Chloe to see the shadowy figures moving closer towards them.

"Chloe" he whispered. "We need to get out of here.."'  
_"We're not alone" _she repeated louder.

Nate stood slowly, his fingers touching the spot where he's gun used to be. His brain froze when he realized he was unarmed, and vulnerable.

_"WE'RE NOT ALONE!!_" Chloe wailed at the top of her lungs.

Nate's heart pumped in his chest. He could hear Chloe screaming and her voice echoed through his head painfully ripping it apart. The figures around him, advancing. He clutched at his head, white flashes of pain radiating through. The screaming, the shadows closing in on them.....

* * *

_"Wake up!!"_

The voice pulled him from the pain. It was his lighthouse, guiding him back to port, back to reality. Nate clung to it, clung to consciousness until he finally mustered the strength to open his eyes.

They flickered momentarily as he gained focus of the figure swimming above him. It was Hawkins. He looked panicked, frazzled his eyes darting back and forth around the room.

"We need to get out of here" Hawkins said in a low voice. "Now"  
"What...?" Nathan asked weakly, as Hawkins pulled him to his feet effortlessly by his strong arms.

It was then Nathan got a look at his surroundings. He was in the room where he had been with Elena, although now...

"What happened in here?" Nate asked in horror, looking around the room.

The walls were momentarily illuminated by a flickering aluminum light overhead. In just the split second the light reached the corners of the room before flickering lazily, Nate could see streaks of blood painted the walls. Hand prints, attempts at writing although nothing legible. As though a young child had got into his crayon collection on the wall.

The smell of blood in the room was making him nauseous, and Nate was glad for a moment that he hadn't eaten since breakfast. He pushed away from Hawkins' support and moved closer to the wall. There was something else there....

Below the blood artwork, was a slumped figure, positioned in a strange angle. Nate didn't have to wait for the light to show it was the body of Davidson... although.

His head was completley detached from his body. It rested promptly in his lap, as though on display.

Nate exhaled slowly. He took a deep shaky breath and turned from the gory sight.

"Where is Elena?" he asked his voice trembling.

"She is fine. I'll explain later. We have to find your friends!" said Hawkins gruffly, pulling Nate towards the stairs.

Nate let himself be dragged out of the basement onto the top deck where they both entered the top deck of the marine ship. The cool air hit Nate's face. It was night time, Nate wondered how long he had been out.

"Where is everyone?" he asked Hawkins.

Hawkins didn't reply, just pulled Nate's arm harder, leading him onto the beach.

The camp was completely empty. Any sign that there had been at least 100 marines on deck just 2 hours ago was completely gone.

It was deserted.  
But what could have gotten to the marines in that amount of time?

_Fear?_ wondered Nate, _or something much worse..._

_Sorry for the delay! but i'm back into it!!! thanks for all the comments and feedback its very useful!_

_I have a great chapter I've already written. i'll post it in a few days - sariah.  
_


	10. Reunited

**Chapter ten**

**Reunited**

* * *

"Sully!! Sully!!"

A voice strained with emotion rattled his senses, jolting him painfully out of his slumbered state. Sully kept his eyes shut, determined to fall back into the blackness that welcomed him with open arms....

"Sully!" the voice more urgent, accompanied by rough hands, shaking his shoulders.

"Urgh" Sully managed weakly.

"Oh thank God!"

It took Sullivan a moment to fully come to his senses. It was dark, stars were bright and gleaming above like pin holes in the sky. His head, cloudy with fog from a concussion was gradually clearing, albeit with a dull ache that seemed to synchronize with his heartbeat.

It was Elena, her pale eyes wide opened with concern. Her face, streaked with dirt, mud and a fresh distinct cut down the side of her check which ran down to her neck.

"You look awful" Sully said without thinking, but Elena smiled weakly in reply.

"I feel awful" he added. He attempted to sit up and Elena helped him lean his back against a tree trunk.

"I haven't felt this awful since that wild ride with that Thai hooker" he mumbled, rubbing his head. "And you know.. I've seen some weird stuff and done kinky things in my life, hell, I'm always up to try everything once but she..."

"Ok that's enough of that" Elena frowned. Sully laughed.

"Well kiddo. What's the deal? Where is Nate?" he asked her.

"Where is Chloe?" she asked quickly.  
Sully looked at her quizzically and wondered why she had dodged the question and suddenly a lump of fear accumulated in his throat. His mouth opened agape.

"Oh...oh God. Is Nate..?"

"No!" said Elena off Sully's horrified expression. "No.. He's... he's fine"

"Oh. Ok good" Sully breathed a sigh of relief and Elena thought that for a moment, she had seen tears forming in the old man's eyes.

"Wait!? Is Chloe...?" asked Elena her eyes widening

Sully shook his head. "She's fine. She's... she's what did this to me" he said finally after a beat.

Elena furrowed her brow. "I don't understand?"

Sully sighed. "Neither do I"

Sully explained the earlier happenings to Elena. From the moment she had gone to the last thing he had heard before passing out.

"So. you think she is working for Eddy?"

Sully frowned. "I don't know Elena. It would seem so.."

"Eddy's dead" she said thoughtfully. She knew she was stating the obvious, but she somehow felt it needed to be said.

"Maybe not" Sully answered.

Elena sunk back into the grass pulling her legs closer to her body. The crickets around them chirped in succession. It calmed her frying synapses which were currently on overdrive with all the recent revelations.

"I passed five dead creatures on the way here to find you" she said after a moment.

"Really?" asked Sully. He was in the process of rummaging through Chloe's backpack for something to stem the flow of blood from his head wound. He found a bright orange t-shirt at the bottom, and couldn't resist smelling it slightly before pressing it against his head, wincing slightly.

"The bodies were hidden. One was in a tree. The others were underneath tree bark that had been placed over them" she continued. She looked down at her hands.

"A lot of this doesn't make sense" Sully said touching her shoulder lightly.  
She nodded and smiled at him.

"I just want answers" she sighed, breaking off a piece of grass at her feet and playing idly.

"Elena..." Sully started.

"Yes?"

"There was something" He hesitated "Ah never mind" Sully threw his hands up in the air.

"Go on" Elena pressed leaning towards him.

"There was something about Chloe. I just can't quite put my finger on. Something wasn't right"

At that moment, a branch snapped to Elena's left and her hand reflexively grabbed her desert 5 from her holster. It was up in air in a split second face to face with...

Nate.

Her empty hand curled into a fist and she swiped it forcefully at his face. Nate didn't have time to react, and got the full impact of her hand against the side of his cheek. It dazed him a moment, causing him to fall to the dirt. Elena took advantage of this, and used her foot to push him further into the soil, pinning him. Her hand raised the gun right between his eyes.

"Whoa there cowgirl" Nate said jokingly, but obviously annoyed. He put his hands in the air. "We come in peace"

Elena's eyes narrowed. "We?"

Hawkins stepped out from the darkness of the jungle terrain timidly. "Ma'am" he said quietly.

Nate's eyes flickered towards Sully, who was holding a blood covered towel to his head. He edged towards him in concern.

Click.

Elena had cocked her gun and still had it leveled between Nate's eyes.

"Elena? What are you doing? And where is Chloe?" Nate asked looking around, confused.

"You're not Nate" she said confidently, her hand steady as a rock.

Nate struggled against her heavy boot, but she held her ground.

"Elena please..."

"You're a monster" she said coolly.

"A monster....? No Elena its me!"

"If you are Nate, then what the hell did you do back there?! More importantly.. How?!" she yelled her voice slicing through the silent peaceful jungle.

Nate looked back at her dumbfounded.

"I don't know" he started. His voice strong with emotion. "All I know is that I woke up and _you were gone_"

There was an unmistakable tremble in his voice as he said this and it caused the gun Elena was holding to waver slightly. She looked deep into his eyes. He stared straight back, and for a moment, Elena felt as though she were looking right into his soul.  
_It is him_ she thought, her eyes brimming with tears. _He's back_

"OK. We need to compare notes obviously" called Sully from behind her.

"Let's take a seat" said Hawkins.


	11. Ghost stories around the campfire

**Chapter eleven**

**Ghost stories around the campfire**

* * *

The fire crackled lightly as Sullivan poked it liberally with a long stick. He glanced up at everyone huddled around the fire in a circle, all gazing at it thoughtfully. He couldn't suppress a grin. _ No one wants to start the conversation_ he mused.

Sully cracked open a bottle of water he pulled from his backpack and took a deep swig. It may have been night time, but the humidity was still strong and it drenched his clothes with sweat. He passed the drink to the burly marine he had just met, Hawkins. He complied and muttered thanks, before draining half the bottle to Sully's annoyance. The marine looked a little pale and feverish, and Sully decided looked like he had been through hell so probably deserved a fair share.

Sully stifled a yawn. He was so tired he felt as if his eyelids weighed a hundred pounds. He attributed this partly to the concussion Chloe had inflicted, but for the most part, it had been such a long day.

And he wasn't the only one. Elena, opposite him looked unusually unkempt, face streaked with dirt, her hair half out of her ponytail and that cut down her neck bleeding slowly, but ultimately exhausted. But Nate....

Nate was positively buzzing with energy. Sully watched his friend blinking erratically, a little too frequent than usual and his whole body moving, fidgeting and bristling with power.

Sully was the first to explain his story. Nate listened intently, leaning so close Sully was worried his shirt would catch alight over the fire.

"So we think that she had a private agenda for getting on the island" Elena said once Sully had finished. Sully was surprised she had been listening. Her eyes had been shut the whole time.  
Nate shook his head. "Eddy and Chloe? There's no connection. They didn't know each other"

"You 100 percent sure of that Nate?" questioned Sully. "How well do you actually know this woman?"

Nate blushed slightly, which was unusual for him considering. The last week, his complexion had barely touched pink.

"Well. Let me sit on that mystery for a bit" He said. He chewed the inside of his cheeks thoughtfully.

"Elena? Did you want to start explaining what happened to you?" He asked somewhat cautiously. He looked a little nervously at her Desert 5 which she still held in her hand as a precaution.

She nodded.

"Me and Nate went to Hawkins' ship and were shown a marine who had suddenly been acting oddly" she said.

"Things went a bit awry" Elena hesitated, unsure how to go on. "I was dragged into the cage by him" she added quickly, subconsciously touching the long cut that ran down her neck. She smiled weakly for a second.  
"I thought I was done for" she admitted.

Her eyes flickered to Nate "But then something pulled the man off me. It threw him into the steel wall so hard, _the floor vibrated_"

Sully's eyes grew wide. By the way Elena was looking at Nate as she said this, he could only guess who had been responsible for the feat of strength.

She sighed. "But...You didn't stop there Nate. You picked him up and threw him again, like a rag doll. Like it was nothing"

"I don't remember any of this" Nate sighed, running his hands through his hair.

"Then.." Elena pursed her lips. "Then you pulled his head off. Cleanly"

Sully couldn't help but gasp. Hawkins didn't react; he just stared into the fire.

"Then, well. Then I got out of there as quick as I could. I thought you were gonna go at me too"

Nate suddenly leaned forward towards Elena. She flinched instinctively as he reached his hand towards her. He took the gun out of her hand and put it on the ground beside them and embraced her into a hug.

"I'm sorry" Sully heard him whisper.

Elena clutched at his back, her eyes closed. A solitary tear fell down a cheek before disappearing completely. She pulled out of their embrace and cleared her throat.

"I'd like to hear your story Hawkins" said Elena, acknowledging the old man sitting next to him. He had been awfully quiet during Elena's story, seemingly preoccupied with cleaning the pistol he had on his lap. The knee it was resting on was jumping up and down, restless.

When Hawkins didn't start talking, Nate tried.  
"Where do you suppose your men went Hawkins?" Nate prompted.

Hawkins shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

Elena exhaled angrily. "Well any time now would be grea---"

"They all started to look at their hands" Hawkins suddenly said. His voice was steady, but low. Sully had to lean in to catch exactly what he was saying.

He sighed. His knee began to bounce faster.

"They were all acting odd. Looking at their hands, speaking strangely, walking in circles. I didn't know what to do"

"It was spreading. And soon, the whole camp had stopped what they were doing and were acting..."

"Like Davidson did" Nate finished.

"They were becoming creatures?!" Elena asked horrified, her hand jumped up to her mouth.

Hawkins nodded. His left eye twitched in nervousness. His knee had calmed down, and he had taken to tapping his fingers against his thigh. He looked frightened out of his mind.

"So, I holed up on deck for about 10, 20 minutes just watching" he continued. "Then I saw Elena, in the distance running away from the ship. She must have run past at least half of them but they took no notice of her"  
Elena nodded at this in confirmation.

"They were looking for me, you see" Hawkins said with a forced smile. His bright blue eyes, void of any true lightness bore into the flames, as though hypnotized.

"Eventually, I forced myself to understand that I was armed with only this pistol" he gestured to it sitting innocently on his knee. "- _against my men. My men_" he repeated. Sully watched as his fist clenched and flexed against his leg.

"My men had revolted. It was a mutiny"

There was silence for a moment between the group as they all came to terms with what Hawkins was saying.

"That's it. I just waited until they had left, then I went down and got you Nate"

Nate nodded in accordance. "Ok.. Ok seems to check out"

"Wait wait wait. You're saying..." Sully started. "That there are at least what 70, 80 big bulky marines out there, completely off their nut, probably still armed with god knows what guns Uncle Sam fishes out?"

"They're not marines any more Sully" Nate said. "They are the creatures. Somehow, they become the creatures"

"Where did they run to?" Elena asked Hawkins.  
Hawkins shrugged. "I dunno, but they were pointing in that direction" he directed with his finger vaguely in the east side of the jungle.

Nate stood slowly, squinting in the distance. "Is that where we were this afternoon?"

Elena bit her lip. "Maybe"

Sully didn't like this. He stood up, walking towards Nate. "You think it's getting our scent Nate?"

Nate turned to him. "I think we should move"

_"I disagree"_

Before Sully could even turn in the direction of the voice, he felt the cool metallic barrel of a pistol at his temple. Elena muffled a scream.

Chloe's head popped out from behind his shoulder.

"Nice to see you Drake." she purred. "Gun, if you please" she gestured towards Elena's desert 5 she had been trying to conceal behind her back.

"And who do I owe the pleasure?" Nate asked her as Elena placed her gun on the ground in front of Chloe who kicked it behind her. He inched causally towards Elena so they were now standing side by side.

Chloe cocked her head to the side quizzically.  
"Whatever do you mean?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"You're not Chloe" Nate stated. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the more it suddenly became clearer.

Chloe frowned. "Is it so hard to believe that I would betray you Drake?" she asked, still holding the gun. Her other hand snaked up Sully's neck, pulling him closer.  
"Yes" he said honestly.

Chloe faltered for a moment. Her eyes widened with surprise.

"But _you_ have betrayed me before Eddy" he said with a smile.

Now her eyes quickly narrowed. She tapped the barrel absentmindedly against Sully's head. Her attention turned to Hawkins, who hadn't moved from his spot around the campfire. She seemed to smile slightly.....

Nate took advantage of this distraction and jumped at her. In one swift movement, he pushed her gun into the air and it fired into the sky as she pulled the trigger. Sully dived out of the way, falling against their backpacks and supplies.

Nate wrestled with the gun from Chloe, but found her fingers too tightly constricted around the handle. With one quick jab, he got her cleanly in the stomach before she retaliated with a kick to his knee. It buckled under him and they both fell to the ground.

Chloe clutched her stomach, clearly winded, but still in possession of the gun. She raised it from the ground at Nate and got ready to pull the trigger...

_"Not so fast bitch!"_

Elena had hurled herself on Chloe and now they tumbled along the ground, entwined in each other's limbs. Chloe's legs kicked out, eventually making contact with Elena's shins which caused her to roar in pain. Nate jumped in, throwing his fist back and forward at a speed that is only possible to reach when pumping with adrenaline. His fist cracked against Chloe's cheek and she flew back from the impact, coming to a complete stop, lying on the ground.

Nate cautiously walked towards her seemingly unconscious body, wanting to find her gun, wanting to disarm her when suddenly her leg flew sideways, catching his own and tripping him. Nate stumbled, his hands outstretched falling _right in the campfire._

He screamed as he constricted his shoulders, trying instinctively to avoid it but it was too late. The flames leapt upon his shirt, catching it alight as they seemingly danced across his chest. In one swift movement he rolled on the ground, ripping his shirt off as he tried desperately to smother the flames that raked across his chest.

Sully was now standing over Chloe, pulling her up to her feet, his eyes blazing. He grabbed both her arms, and forced them away.

He twisted the arm that held so tightly onto the gun until finally, Chloe gave out with a scream. Her fingers relaxed and the gun fell to the ground. Sully grabbed it and pointed it directly at Chloe, cocking it.

"_Put.. That... down"_

The voice came from behind him, Sully turned around slowly.

Hawkins was holding a gun directly at Nate's head. Nate was staring directly at Hawkins' barrel which was touching his top lip. His eyes were wide, his clothes, singed and black from the fire, breathing heavily.

It took a moment for Sully to fully understand the situation. He automatically lowered his gun and raised his hands. Elena did the same. Chloe laughed.

Suddenly a series of inhumane cries filled the air. Everyone looked in different directions, trying to pinpoint the location.

"Looks like you guys are gonna have some company" said Chloe, clapping her hands together.  
She wiped her bottom lip which was bloody from a head butt Elena had managed to sneak in.

"What do you say Navarro?" Chloe asked Hawkins "Should we leave these guys to their guests?"

Hawkins grinned. "That would be the most logical thing you have ever said to me

The screams and cries of the creatures drew nearer as Hawkins and Chloe left a dumbstruck Nate, Elena and Sully lying in the dirt.

**  
LONNNNNNNNNNNGGG Chapter I know!!!!**


	12. The perpetual Darkness

**Chapter 12**

**The perpetual Darkness**

"GO GO GO!!"

Sully pushed himself of the ground just as the body of a flailing creature landed just where he had been.

He glanced around wildly, his hands in front of him in a defensive pose as he whirled around in a circle, gauging his surroundings.

They were everywhere.

At least 10 had Elena, Nate and Sully confined in a tight circle, snarling, their moves jagged and erratic. They hissed and screamed at him, their hands raking out in front of them, tensed.

It took Sully a moment to realize what exactly he was looking at.

They were all in army fatigues.

They were all the soldiers from Hawkins' base. Marines, dressed head to toe in uniform, a gun lazily holstered by their side, a last name printed above a small pocket on the breast.

All of them had been taken over by the creatures.

"Nate.. There all possessed" Elena whimpered in a small voice.

More men appeared from the trees, tightening the circle around the trio. Pale and slick with sweat, they swayed on the spot, maintaining their circle.. waiting.

_Waiting for what?_

A second later, Sully's question was answered. A lone marine appeared out of the darkness and an eerie tense atmosphere filled the air. The creatures bowed their heads slightly at the sight of this creature/man, quieting down, restricting their movements.

The lone marine's fatigues read the name of the poor soul who once inhabited them, Frost. He was different than the rest; he carried an air of authority around him. Sully figured this was their leader.

Frost barked an indistinguishable group of syllables and sounds at the rest of the men who cowered their heads. He continued to presumably shout orders at them and then gestured at the fire.

All the men's eyes suddenly turned to the camp fire. They were watching it intently, their eyes wide and unblinking.

"The fire?" murmured Sully._ What was it about the fire?_

A glint of silver caught Sullivan's eye and his eyes automatically raked to the source. The gun. Elena's pistol sitting innocently on the ground.....

_I have to get that gun_

The campfire was beginning to die out, a few small flames clutching to existence before flickering carelessly in the breeze. The men still seemed memorised by the flames, watching them, sucking in their breath as it would appear to die out, only to emerge a split second later.

"Why aren't they attacking us?" whispered Nate under his breath to Elena. He held his arms outstretched over her, protecting her.

"They're waiting for the fire to go out" Elena said horrified.

Sully surveyed the rest of the circle surrounding them. It was true. Every single pair of the marine's eyes were staring hypnotised at the flame. Sully figured that was the order Frost had given. Wait for the signal... To attack in the dark.

"Nate... can you get to that gun?" whispered Sully elbowing Nate's side, never taking his eyes off the pistol.

No reply.

"Nate, I think you're closer" he tried again. He elbowed him harder.

But Nate was silent. Sully turned to look at him. At the same time, Sully saw Frost's head slowly and look at Nate curiously.

Nate's eyes were closed and his lips were parted slightly. He was completely still and silent, Sully wondered if he was even breathing. He prodded him again with his elbow.  
The fire crackled loudly, startling a few of the creatures who watched in glee as another section succumbed to the moist jungle air. The flames flickered, getting smaller and smaller with each second.

"Nate?" Elena was now touching his face, slapping him lightly.

Suddenly his eyes sprang open causing Elena to jump and cry out. His eyes were completely white for a good few seconds before his iris came down slowly and painfully from the lid of his eyes. He blinked a few times.

Sully took a tentative step back.

"You're not Nate..." he started as Nate's eyes locked with Sully's.

"Sully! The fire!" Elena cried.

Sully watched in horror as it died out, leaving them in perpetual blackness.

That was all Sully needed. Dimly, he could still make out the faint outline of Elena's pistol, resting against a rock. The men around them roared and prepared to attack, but Sully had already anticipated this and threw himself on the ground. His hand reached out above him, frantically feeling for the cold heavy metal of the weapon before he felt the tips of his fingers graze the barrel. In one swift movement, he swung it into the air and pulled the trigger.

_**BAANGG**_

The sound echoed through the trees slicing through the inhumane sounds of the men. Dazed for a moment, Sully lay on the ground, his arm still pointed skyward, when it was suddenly seized by a petite woman's hand and he was roughly pulled to his feet into the direction of the trees.

Then they were running. They were running hard into absolute blackness. Sully watched Elena's white shirt moving in front of him, and Nate, or whoever he, pulling her along.

Sully did not take a second to look behind him, for he could hear the creatures clipping at his heels, twigs snapping under heavy marine boots, wails and cries of the confusion he had caused by shooting the gun. It had given them a good head start. But now where?

Sully tripped suddenly on a tree branch, but fixed the landing on the soft soil in a forward combat roll. As soon as he regained his feet, he began to sprint like he had never done so before. His legs felt like they were running on air, and he wasn't even aware of a particular direction he was headed in only that....

He was alone..

_Where are Elena and Nate?_

He had lost them.

Panic rose into his throat as he slowed down to a jogging pace and turned in circles, squinting into the darkness hoping to catch a glimpse of Elena's shirt or Nate's bobbing head.

But nothing.

_Weren't they just in front of me? _He wondered incredulously.

He stopped altogether and was still. He couldn't hear the creatures anymore. He couldn't hear anything but his own raspy breath and his hammering heart.

_Should I turn around? _He stepped hesitantly in one direction, changed his mind. Took another tentative step in another direction. Changed his mind.

A million thoughts clogged into his brain and he couldn't separate one from the other. He could feel the blood rushing through his veins, the adrenaline pumping his heart into overdrive. He clutched at his shirt and winced slightly as pain radiated from his chest.

_I'm all alone _he realized.

Another burst of pain erupted from his chest. He suddenly felt feverish, hot and sticky. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead as he raised his hands in front of his face to see that they were shaking.

And with a small strangled cry, Victor Sullivan fell to his knees.. and was no more.


	13. The man behind the green eyes

**Chapter 13**

**The Man behind green eyes**

* * *

Elena's heart thumped in her chest so loud she swore she could feel it resonate through her skin. Her breath was ragged and harsh, uneven. Nate stood close behind her, unusually still.

They had been hiding for perhaps 5 or so minutes, but to Elena, it felt like hours. The jungle was alive with sounds of crickets chirping, the flapping of the wings of bats and the generally groaning of the trees swaying in the wind. It had appeared as though the creatures had abandoned their search of the trio. Still, Elena wasn't ready to come out of their hiding spot quite yet.

Elena started to exhale loudly when suddenly Nate clamped his hands on her mouth hard. She stifled a cry as his grip tightened and he leaned in close to her ear.

"Sshh" he muttered.

She could dimly make out a figure searching for them in the darkness a few yards ahead. How Nate had seen him was anyone's guess. Her eyes still hadn't adjusted to the darkness and she felt completely blind.

And somewhat naked.

As they were running earlier, Nate had suddenly torn off her shirt in one quick movement and thrown it into the opposite direction, presumably to throw off their scent.

But still, she shivered, she felt a little exposed. Not only because she was being hunted in the jungle by a pack of ravenous possessed marines, but because she was wearing just a small dark blue slip singlet that barely covered her midriff.

She was also _very_ aware how Nathan wasn't wearing a shirt. He had ripped it off when it had caught alight earlier when Chloe had thrown him into the fire.

_Not the best time to be thinking about that Elena_ she scolded herself.

"Don't make a sound" Nate whispered.

Elena did a double take

His voice... She suddenly realized.

He was speaking in an English accent.

Now that the panic had subsided, Elena realized that she was not with Nate. And she hadn't been since they had started to run from the site. Her body stiffened and Nate's grasp over her mouth grew tighter in response.

Now she was half naked in the jungle with a stranger.

They watched nervously as the figure in the darkness turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Nate finally relaxed his grip on her mouth and let her breathe a sigh of relief. Before she could relax however, his hand grabbed her shoulder and whirled her around to face him.

"What do you fear?" whispered Nate, he pulled his face close into hers, looking deep into her eyes.

Elena scowled. "Get your hands off me" she hissed angrily. She pushed his strong and steady arms off her, but he countered, and grabbed her again roughly.  
There was a definite look in his eyes that gave it away. _The voice was the clincher_, she noted, but his eyes...

They were a lot deeper somehow.

"You need to tell me!" he hissed urgently, griping her so tight, she felt her arms bruising.

"I don't need to tell you anything!" she whispered angrily

She turned back angrily, her eyes darting around  
"That could have been Sully you know" she whispered to him.

Nate shook his head.

"It didn't smell like him"' he said.

She gave him a funny look at his comment but decided not to pursue it yet. There would be plenty of time for answers she decided. Later perhaps.

She wondered how she hadn't noticed it wasn't Nate in her company earlier. He noticeably straighter in his posture. His shoulders were pulled back tight, his hands straight by his side. He looked healthier than he had the past few days. His face, no longer ashen and his movements calm and collected. Sully seemed to notice at the site, she remembered his chilling cry before all hell broke loose '_you're not Nate...'_

"I hope his he's ok" she whispered. Her thoughts on poor Sully, who they had lost track of a while back. A tear fell down her cheek and she raised a hand to brush it away.

Nate took her hand away from her face.  
"He will be" Nate said softly, putting her hand in his and caressing it gently.

She turned her back on him again, and resumed looking through the foliage.

"There's no point. It's too dark. We should find shelter" he said.

Elena bit her lip. She wanted to keep looking for Sully. Her heart ached at the thought of him alone out there in the dark.

But deep down, she knew he was right. It was pointless to try to find her bearings now. There was no light save for the haunting glow the moon was casting upon the trees. And even that only illuminated the outlines of the jungle trees and vines. She turned to him, and he gestured towards the large and sturdy tree with low thick and heavy branches a few yards ahead of them.  
She nodded in agreement and grudgingly followed him to its base, before he without warning, hoisted her up onto one of the branches. He followed suit, lifting himself onto the thick branch like a chin up as Elena watched his muscles constrict with the effort. He settled next to her.

"Do you know who I am Elena?" He asked her lifting an eyebrow curiously.

"Of course I know" she said confidently. "You're Drake. Sir Francis Drake"

Drake smiled a little nodding his head in agreement.

"When did you realise?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I've had my suspicions since the plane ride here" she admitted. "When Chloe first mentioned you were speaking with an English accent" Elena adjusted her legs so they swung out below her. She watched them move and sway on their own accord.

"Chloe has become Eddy Raja" she continued. "And now Hawkins.. Navarro..."

Drake was silent.

"So....Everyone's coming back" she said jokingly, but there was a strain to her voice as if this upset her.

Drake looked up and smiled at her again. It made Elena uneasy. It wasn't Nathan's smile. _Not lopsided enough_ she decided.

"Very good Ms Fisher" he said. "I'm impressed"

Elena's eyes narrowed. "So are you going to tell me why exactly you're in there in the first place?"

His smile faltered with a long dramatic sigh. He looked as though he was ready to launch into his story when he noticed Elena was now rubbing her eyes wearily.

"Perhaps in the morning?" he offered.

Elena was about to protest when she suddenly became aware of how tired she was. Her limbs ached, her head throbbed and her eyes were twitching slightly with fatigue. She yawned automatically as she lowered her head to the branch, squirming her back against the bark until it rested somewhat comfortably on her spine.

Drake allowed her to rest her head in his lap. She looked back up at him, noticing how the angle she was laying in showed how badly he needed to shave.  
_From down here,_ she decided, _he looks like Nate...  
_

A few strands of her long blonde hair had settled just over her left eye, causing her to blink a little. Without thinking, Drake picked them up lightly with two fingers, brushing them behind her ear.

"Will you be here when I wake up?" she asked sleepily.

Drake looked at her confused.

"Or will Nathan?" she asked, her eyes closing.

His hand stopped short of her cheek. He pulled it back slowly with a small smile. Elena suddenly felt confused about the intimacy of the situation.

"Goodnight Elena" he said softly.


	14. Answers in the Clouds

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Answers in the clouds**

* * *

"Oh man.. not again"

Nate stood yet again in the fog and mist of what he had begun to refer to in his mind as "limbo"

The in-between.

He couldn't quite describe how exactly he had pieced together the connection between this place and reality, but he somehow knew on a deeper level, that this was where he went when someone else took hold of his body.

He swallowed nervously.

_Or something else....  
_

The fear edged into Nate's skull, pressing against his consciousness, practically begging him to take hold of it and to force him to confront the questions he did not want to address. He eventually gave up and let the feeling creep into his thoughts.

_Who is with Elena right now? A creature in my body?  
_

He took a deep breath, and rested his hands loosely on his waist. Again, he was somehow dressed in a royal blue waistcoat with gold tassels falling from the pocket and buttons. And the tights..

Nate winced. _ I don't like the tights _he thought, taking a moment to very unpleasantly adjust himself.

He glanced down at his feet, pivoting on the spot, watching as his black buckled shoes sunk a little in to the sand. He closed his eyes for a moment and let a small breeze drift through his hair, causing him to shiver slightly.

Limbo, it seems, always seemed to take place on the beach front. He concluded that he was definitely conscious, he could feel pain (discovered after accidentally pinching himself adjusting his tights) and knew that he was indeed still on the island.

He could not see anything ahead, as yet again a thick blanket of fog obstructed everything in sight.

There was no sound save for his breath, there were no smells.

In fact, it was almost as if his senses had been turned down, slightly muted with a volume knob.

"Chloe?!!" He called.

No answer.

His voice reverbed slightly as if it were bouncing off walls. Nate hadn't noticed it did that earlier.

Continuing to walk, he could make out a faint outline of a figure in the distance. He jogged a few paces, approaching it cautiously until he realized it was a figure he had encountered before.

The first shadows he had seen, on his first trip to limbo, apparently not shadows anymore.

They were fully corporealized figures of the marine soldiers. Standing around, gazing into the distance, looking confused.

Nate turned on the spot and realized there were at least 60 surrounding him. Their bodies inhabited by the creatures, they were stuck in the in between with him and Chloe.

_Chloe...  
_

A small yell in the distance broke his thoughts. It was her, there was no doubt.

Nate headed towards the source of the voice, eying a solider as he passed. The solider gave no indication of seeing Nate. His silhouette flickered slightly and Nate assumed that perhaps the process still wasn't fully complete and that they were unable to see him or communicate with him.

The voice called again, and now there was no mistaking the sound. Squinting into the distance, Nate could just barely make out the outline of her figure, standing in the mist. Nate ran towards her his arms outstretched, relieved to have found her. He felt disoriented by the mist, not being able to see in front of him.

Her face soon came into focus, it was slightly red and shiny, perhaps from crying, but Chloe's facial features gave no indication of this. In fact, as she saw Nate approaching, her face widened into a cheeky grin.

"Nice to see you Nate" she said, shaking his hand.

The last time Nate had seen Chloe, (well, the real Chloe), she had been visibly distraught. Curled in the fetal position, wearing clothes that were too big for her and sobbing like a lost child. Looking at her grinning face now, Nate wondered if he imagined the whole thing before shaking his head. _Typical Chloe_ he thought._ Never wanting to show any weaknesses.  
_

In fact, that had been the whole problem with their relationship in the first place. Although Nate used the term "relationship" very loosely in regards to Chloe as it had been more of a casual thing, she had always been on guard. Never quite letting Nathan in. Never letting him see any emotional response, never hinting of what was going on under that cool exterior.

He approached her cautiously, slightly off put from her smile. It looked strained from the effort. The corners of her mouth twitched as though they were forced into a position they had never done before.

Regardless, Nate embraced her tightly, longing for her comfort. He ran her fingers through her dark hair, pulling her in closer. She was stiff in his arms and pulled away too early. She looked embarrassed. He looked at her concerned.

"I'm fine Nate" She said off his look. She gestured for him to sit down

"It's ok to be scared sometimes Chloe" Nate said gently. He curled his legs into a cross position and held her shoulder. She shrugged him off casually.

"I know.. I just...' she hesitated. "I woke up here all alone, and I had no idea where I was"

Nate nodded. "Me too I guess"

She played idly with a large group of chains that hung from her neck. Nate recognized them immediately as belonging to Eddy, as well as his dirty orange t shirt and baggy pants. They were too big for Chloe, and in them she gave the impression of being fragile and weak.

"Are we dead Nate?" she asked softly.

Nate's eyes widened. "No!! No Chloe we're not dead"

"Then why can't I leave?" she asked, her voice cracking. Her eyes were filling with tears again.

Nate put his arms around her, and she buried her face against his chest. For a moment, they were lost in each others embrace.

Chloe suddenly chuckled softy. She pulled back, wiping the tears off her cheek.

"I've never let anyone see me like that before" she admitted.

"Like what?" Nate asked

"Like.. you know, when you were here before" she raised an eyebrow. When he didn't respond, she threw her hands in the air.

"I dunno like.. the real me. The emotional side, what goes on up here" she tapped the side of her head.

Nate smiled. "Why not?"

Chloe shrugged, looking thoughtfully out into the fog. "I guess... It's always been my biggest fear. To allow people to see inside my head. To see... my soul"

Nate frowned slightly at her choice of words. They made the scar on his chest tingle slightly. He rubbed it absentmindly.

Sometime later, they were sprawled out on the sand gazing up at the blank sky. Nate had filled her in on his theory, what had happened to her, and the last thing he remembered. She had quietly listened, interrupting only to gasp or to throw in a curse word here and there.. They both stared into the mist surrounding them in silence.

"So.. I'm possessed by this dude Eddy Raja. This Hawkins fellow is possessed by some guy named Navarro and the entire marine corp could possibly now be ravenous monsters?" Chloe asked skeptically.

Nate nodded.

"What about you?" she asked curiously.

Nate shrugged. "Judging by the feat of strength I apparently pulled off to Davidson, I'd say a Spaniard as well" he said, trying to appear nonchalant as if this information didn't bother him. "These clothes look like they were from around that era anyway" he pulled at a thread on his coat.

Chloe smiled and shook her head. "I don't think so Nate"

Nate frowned at her "What do you mean?"

"Nate, you may know your history..." she said her eyes twinkling. "But I know my fashion"

Nate furrowed his brow. He patted down his pockets trying to find anything, a clue that could confirm Chloe's theory when....

He pulled out the journal.

"What's that?" Chloe leaned in closer.

"It's Sir Francis Drakes" he said with a gasp.

Chloe whistled. "Wow Nate" she said, she patted him on the back. "Looks like you got the jackpot mate"

Nate was too shocked to speak. His voice seemed stuck in his throat somehow, his chest filling with an overwhelming feeling of emotion....

"Why did I get the bad guy?" Chloe grumbled.

Nate shook his head out of his daze. "Eddy wasn't a bad guy" he told her. "He just got mixed up with the wrong crowd"

"How did this happen? Why did this happen?" she griped.

Nate shrugged and sighed, exasperated by his lack of answers for her.

"Well, ok then. We'll figure this out" she said confidently. "I just want to know what is going to happen to my soul" she added after a thought.

It was like a light bulb had gone off in his head. A revelation. Nate's mouth slowly stretched into a smile, his eyes darting back and forth. Chloe could practically hear the gears in his head turning.

"Thats it! Its a Soul Aletor"

Chloe frowned. "A soul what...?"

"An Aletor!" He said excitedly. "Its a spell!"

When she didn't react to his degree of enthusiasm he threw his hands up in the air.

"OK, whenever a great powerful object was worshiped by a tribe, it was always protected by a number of spells and curses"

"Exactly. Like the idol. It was cursed" Chloe said.

"Yes. Well, the El Dorado idol was so important to the South American tribe who worshiped it that they also made it into a Soul Aletor" he continued. She gave him a look of utter confusion.

"It's like a big powerful magnet" he said, miming with his hands.

"A magnet?" Chloe wrinkled her nose.

"Yeah. Like..." he clicked his fingers, trying to search for the right word. "Like.. a soul magnet. The idol becomes a soul magnet--"

'--Whenever someone dies who is near the idol, their soul is drawn to the magnet and stays there, stuck"

"I don't get it. What's the point of putting a Soul Aletor on the idol?" she asked confused.

"Well" he said dramatically. "Imagine your tribe is protecting the idol and then suddenly all get sick and die. Or you all die in battle. Or a massive flood, tornado, anything.."

"No one would be around to protect the idol" Chloe finished with a grin,

"Exactly. The Soul Aletor is designed to capture the people's souls to use them to continue protecting the idol. So their duties extend to the afterlife"

"Tough gig" remarked Chloe and Nathan laughed.

"Yeah they should get paid overtime" he joked back.

"How could a soul protect something though?" Chloe wondered.

Nate put up his finger, pointedly "If someone were to come and try to _steal_ the idol for example, the souls could possess the thief. Take over the human vessel, and use it to continue their duty"

Chloe shook her head. "Wow" she said, flabbergasted "I think you've got it Nate" she said, impressed.

Nate flexed his fingers over his head, cracking a few knuckles.

"All in a days work" he said with a smile.

He touched the burn mark on his chest which was tingling again a little more intensely. A sharp stabbing pain made him wince slightly.

"You OK?" Chloe asked concerned.

He nodded. "I'm fine" he swallowed hard.

"Anyway. That explains our possession" he continued. "Now, the marines. The creatures were once men. Germans and Spaniards that inhabited the island, trying to steal the idol but fell to a different curse placed on the statue. One that distorted their bodies, their minds, turned them into monsters. Made them immortal"

"Why didn't they get possessed?"

Nate shrugged. "There must be something that triggers the possession. Makes it possible. I haven't quite figured out what it is yet"

"When we got here, we found all the monsters dead. Their souls got trapped with the Aletor, and are now being distributed among the marines" he clapped his hands together.

"Somethings not right with that" Chloe muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"Well.." she paused. "I mean, we found all their dead bodies hidden all over the place. How did they die? You said it yourself, they became practically immortal from the curse. Why are they dead and in weird places like up trees?"

Nate frowned. "That I'm not so sure of"

"And why didn't the soul Aletor work the last time you guys were here?" she pressed. "Why didn't you or Elena, or Eddy or any of you guys get possessed last time you were here?"

Nate sighed. "I don't know. Again, it just needed the right trigger I guess"

He suddenly clutched at his jacket again in pain, crying out, despite himself.

"Nate?! Are you sure you're OK?"

"Yeah.. I..." he started. His eyes clamped shut as another wave of pain escalated down his front.

"Nate?"

The scar on his chest suddenly escalated into fire which seemed to be traveling up his throat. He screamed trying to free his hand so he could clutch at his skin, but something held his hands tight, something was holding his body into place. Everything was turning a dim black and he watched helplessly as Chloe's worried face swam in and out of focus. He tried to reach for her, but his arm stopped mid air, frozen in place.

All he could see was darkness. The fire in his chest still burned but was gradually dying out. He began to feel an odd sensation on his fingers. A light, silky, familiar feeling.

He could feel something on his lips, something soft, wet and warm.

Slowly, Nate felt like he was regaining control of his body. Like he was slipping back into a comfy chair. The fire burnt out, and was replaced by the sudden intake of oxygen by his lungs, cooling his throat. His eyelids fluttered open and dimly he could see his fingers were running through soft blonde hair, and his lips were moving gently against someone elses....

"Elena?" he muttered confused. He moved his head back slowly.

"Nate?!"

Elena pulled back horrified.

"Nate is that you??!" she peered into his eyes, her hand over her mouth

"Elena?!!! Were you just making out with Sir Francis Drake?!!!"


	15. Friends and betrayals

**Chapter Fifteen**

**The betrayal**

* * *

Elena's mouth opened and closed like a fish. Her eyes were wide in horror and shock. She tried to say something, but only a squeak came out.

It had happened so suddenly, one minute she had locked lips with Drake, the next she had felt him stiffen in her arms, a great gasp of air across her lips and suddenly she was staring into Nate's eyes.

The timing could not be worse.

How could she even begin to explain? She looked at Nate's accusing eyes in front of her, horrified, waiting for an answer.

But she had none.

None that he would want to hear anyway.

His arms were crossed against his bare naked chest and he was leaning in to her face with such an intent hurt look of anger and betrayal

The irony of the situation could not escape Elena. She was trapped, caught out. She suddenly felt as though she were on the TV show "Cheaters" and that had just been sprung in front of millions of people.

_What is there left to do but tell the truth?_ She wondered.

It was the next morning, early, but the sun was at full intensity. She was already sweating from the heat. Her mind was still slightly foggy, having just woken up a moment ago but her thoughts were clear when she had leaned forward to kiss his lips. Her hands had lightly brushed up his bare chest, skimming across the outline of his muscles, her lips parted and eager and then....

And then disaster.

Nate was apparently in the house.

Elena took a deep breath and was about to begin her rambling explanation, when she heard a familiar sound calling in through the trees.

"Nathan?" the voice called.

"Sully?" Nate's scowling eyes moved from Elena's to find the source of the voice. Elena exhaled in relief, she was saved from the situation.

_For now._

Sully had emerged from the density of the forest trees just behind them. Seeing the old man again, Elena suddenly felt as though her heart had lifted and was bursting with elation.

He looked worn out, tired and beaten as though he had slept on a rock. His clothes were all slightly askew, covered in streaks of mud and dirt. His silver hair caught the sunlight and bounced across his face revealing dark shadows under his eyes. He looked as though he had aged ten years over night.

Elena had never been so glad to see anyone in her life, and not just because she had just saved him from the most awkward situation she had ever been in. She couldn't stop herself from running over to Sully and throwing her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. He awkwardly patted her shoulders in return, chuckling.

"Hey there, what's the big fuss all about?"

"I thought you were dead" she whispered. She pulled away from him, and hastily wiped a tear that was falling down from her cheek.

"Takes more than that to kill me" he said.

"Apparently" said Nate.

They both turned to look over at Nate who hadn't moved from his spot. Elena beckoned him with her eyes to come over, to celebrate their reunion.

But Nate didn't move. Elena gave him a dirty look. Sure, Nate hadn't exactly been there when the chase was going on and they had gotten separated last night as Drake had been in control of his body then, but still.

_He's pissed_ thought Elena. _He's pissed at me for making out with him.. _

_Well not him, but kind of him._

_Argh_! Her head hurt at the absurdness of the situation.

Sully shrugged off Nate's coolness and took Elena's hand. He led her to a broken tree trunk which he sat down on and placed his head in his hands, sighing wearily. Elena sat next to him and placed her hand on his back, rubbing up his spine.

"What a night" he commented.

"I'll say" Nate muttered.

"What happened to you Sully?" asked Elena concerned. "We lost track of you, I thought.. I thought the creatures had gotten to you!"

"I was wondering the same about you" he said. "Where did you guys end up?"

Elena glanced over at Nate, who was suddenly fascinated by fairly large and heavy stone he was kicking around with his foot. Elena sighed.

"Long story" she started. "I was visited by the ghost in Nate's head, which turns out is actually Sir Francis Drake"

Sully's eyes went wide. He looked back at Nate in shock. "Wow.. Ok"

"Yeah. So we.. um.. holed up for the night" she blushed slightly. "Over in a tree over there somewhere" she pointed in the general direction of the tree.

"Are you still Drake?" asked Sully curiously at Nate.

Nate finally looked up from the rock at his feet. "No, why?"

Sully shrugged. "I dunno. That's weird though isn't it? I mean, why isn't he still in your head? He can come and go as he pleases?"

Nate stared into Sully with an odd expression. "I guess so" he said with a somewhat harsh undertone.

Elena ignored Nate's hostility and turned back to Sully. "What happened to you Sully after we split up?"

Sully shook his head. "Found a spot and holed up for the night. Was pretty---"

"--You got a gun?" interrupted Nate. Elena watched him playing a little soccer with the rock at his feet, passing it between his feet, jogging on the spot.

Sully looked at him quizzically, then to Elena. "Yeah, I got a gun"

"Where is it?" asked Nate, darting the rock between his feet.

Sully tapped his back. "Here" he said.

There was silence for a moment. Elena wondered if Nate expected Sully to give it to him. She felt as though her and Sully were on the naughty chair, being scolded by a teacher. Having their belongings confiscated. Elena shot him another dirty look, which Nate ignored.

"So what's the plan Nathan" he asked. "Where do we go from here?"

"Can I have the gun first?" asked Nate with an odd smile. He finally stopped playing with the rock "Before we start to discuss anything..." he added

Elena looked at Nate suspiciously. He was acting strange. Something was going on...

Sully must have felt it too. "Why?" he asked, staring at Nate.

Nate stared back unblinking. "It belongs to Elena. Why don't you give it back to her?"

Sully frowned. He looked confused. The situation was becoming so tense Elena thought she could cut through it with a knife. They held each other's gaze for a moment before Sully obliged, his hand going behind his back to reach for the pistol....

In one swift movement, Elena saw Nate tense up and lunge at them. But before he could even get in close, Sully had the gun up, and cocked at Elena's temple.

He grabbed her roughly and seized her arm, gripping it tightly and pulling her in close. Elena cried out in shock. _What was going on?_

"Hands up" sneered Sully at Nate, gesturing with the gun.

Nate wearily raised his hands. He glanced at Elena, who was still in complete disbelief of what had just happened.

Sully stood up slowly, taking Elena with him. His hands snaked around her neck, the gun thudding against her temple as they moved. The barrel felt cold against her flesh and her heart was going a mile a minute.

"When exactly did you realize if you don't mind me asking?" Sully asked.

Nate's foot resumed idly playing with the large stone. "You called me Nathan" Nate said, his hands still raised, his eyes on the floor. "You haven't done that in a long time"

Sully rolled his eyes. "Charming"

"Who are you!?" demanded Elena.

"It's Roman. Gabriel Roman" answered Nate.

Sully smiled in reply. Elena swallowed hard. She realised Sully was now speaking in a calm English accent.

"Ironic isn't it?" asked Nate. "The fact that you possessed Sully. I mean, after all that money he owed you, and you shot him and everything" Nate was now rolling the rock under his feet.

Sully frowned at Nate, his grip around Elena's neck loosening slightly. "Yeah well, paybacks a bitch"

"No Roman" Nate said, smiling slightly.

_"You're the bitch"_

With all the strength he could muster, Nate kicked the rock at his feet into the air, hurling it straight into Sully's face. It hit him square in the jaw, which caused him to falter his tight hold on Elena. She squirmed free just as Nate threw another punch, centimeters from where she had just been. It hit Sully's shoulder hard, the force throwing him back in the tree trunk.

Elena wrestled with Sully for the gun in his flailing hand. His grip was so tight, Elena tried to pry his fingers off it one by one. He threw a fist at her with his free hand, which she expectantly ducked and countered with an elbow to the stomach. He grunted with pain and doubled over, which allowed Nate to jump in with a knee to his temple. Sully dropped the gun, which Nate kicked away in a flash.

Elena took advantage of Sully's last blow to the head, which left him slightly dazed and slammed her right hook into his skull. She followed it with a left hand uppercut into his jaw which caused him to fall back against the tree trunk.

Sully wavered on the spot for a moment before falling to the floor in a heap.

"Elena! Grab those vines!" Nate yelled.

Elena frantically looked around at the Amazon around her. She darted towards the first, thickest vine she could find before pulling a small switchblade from her boot and jaggedly cutting it free.

Behind her, she could vaguely see Nate had Sully pinned onto the ground, his legs were thrashing around trying in vain to throw Nate off him.

Elena brought them over to Nate and started to tie Sully's hands together in a quick swift knot. Nate watched, a little impressed by her accuracy and speed.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" He asked her.

She tossed her hair behind her shoulder. "Scouts" she replied. "I got a badge for it"

"I bet you did" he said grinning at her.

Once they were certain Sully was unable to break free from the vines, Elena pocketed her pistol.

"You're forced to protect it" Nate suddenly realized. "The idol. Aren't you?"

Sully didn't reply.

"You can't help yourself Roman, you have to protect it" Nate continued. "Its the spell, its the Soul Aletor"

Elena gave him a confused look, but Nate just shook his head at her. "Later" he said.

"What are you talking about?" Sully jeered. He thrashed and squirmed, trying to break free.

"You don't even know why, you can't quite explain it" Nate said tapping the gun to his side, thoughtfully. "The second you died your soul attached to the idol. When Sully came here you possessed him, but you are compelled to El Dorado idol. You are bound to it"

Sully shook his head, but hesitated. He looked up at them, his eyes dark and for a moment Elena felt sorry for the ghost behind his eyes.

"And Eddy, and Navvaro" Elena said, coming up behind him. "Is that why they're working together? Is that why they are trying to kill us?"

"You think we are after the statue?" Nate prompted. "We're not. We just wanna get out of here now"

Sully scowled. "You don't understand" he hissed.  
"My soul, my entity has been trapped in that statue for so long now" he said forcefully. His voice shook with power.

"I finally am able to be free. Possess this body, but what is free?" he laughed. "All I want to do is stay here on this god forsaken island. Live here by the idol's side. Protect it. And I can't even explain why"

"It's the curse" replied Nate. "The connection. Everything that dies on this island becomes connected to it"

"How did you get into Sully anyway?" asked Elena. "Why did you wait until now? Why not earlier at the camp site? Or better yet as soon as we landed?"

"Stupid little girl. I couldn't get in" Sully hissed at her. "Don't you think I would have done that earlier if I could?"

Elena resisted the urge to punch him again.

"There was some kind of disturbance I felt in him" Sully said. "I don't know what it was, but I could suddenly see him clearly through the fog and attach myself"

"The fog?" Nate echoed. His face went slightly pale.

"Never mind" Sully said gruffly. "I don't know how that stupid curse works. All I know is I want you dead"

Elena moved over to Nate and pulled him aside so they could talk in quiet. Nate glanced quickly over at Sully, just to make sure he was secure before following her to a distance away from prying ears.

"Nate, I'm worried. Judging by what you and Roman are saying, there is no way these guys are ever going to leave the bodies of Chloe, Sully and the marines"

Nate nodded. "I know" he whispered, keeping his eye on Sully who was watching them curiously.

He sighed. "I don't know what we're gonna do here. But I think it all comes down to the idol. It all leads back to there. If we can somehow sever the connection these souls have with the idol, break the Soul Aletor spell, we might have a shot of getting them back"

"Nate, everyone on this island is possessed. They all are guarding the statue! They won't let us within a mile of it!" Elena whispered.

Nate threw his hands in the air in frustration. " I know. I know"

"Except Drake" she suddenly said.

Nate's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Sir Francis" her face went a slight crimson at the mention of his name. "He doesn't seem to be bound to the statue like the others. He's not working with them to kill us to protect it" her voice got faster and faster as she realised that she was onto something.

"He could be playing you Elena" Nate warned. He touched her shoulder lightly. "The spell should affect him too. I mean, he died here in the presence of the Soul Aletor, he should suffer the same allegiance as the others..."

"But something is different Nate I'm telling you" she pleaded. She stopped for a moment, an idea crossing her mind. "I have to talk to him. Bring him here"

"What?!"

"I need to speak with him Nate" Elena said matter of factly.

"I can't just bring him here" he retorted. "It's not like I can knock on my brain and he comes and answers the door"

"He was going to tell me everything before...."

"Before I rudely interrupted?" snapped Nate.

Elena's eyes darkened. "You have no idea what happened ok? You were gone"

"I know what I saw when I came back" Nate countered. His face looked sad and defeated. "I know what I felt when I saw it..."

Elena felt a stab of guilt in her chest. She took a breath, about to explain when...

"Where did he go?"

Nate was staring open mouthed at the vines that lay abandoned on the ground, ripped to shreds next to the tree trunk.

Elena's heart jumped into overdrive.

"Oh my God"


	16. Starting with the man in the mirror

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Starting with the man in the mirror****  
**

* * *

A blow to the side of her head threw her to the ground. Dazed, her head whipped back to see the source of the blow only be dealt another, hitting her square in the jaw.

Her face was thrown back from the impact and droplets of her own blood flew into the air. Her voice let out a strangled cry. Her head fell to the soft grass; her knees tensing close towards her chest, writhing in pain.

From down here, she could just make out the boots her attacker, circling her, studying her. She searched for Nate, looking up at the place where they had discovered Sully's abandoned restraints.

But found no one. She was alone.

"Nate" she called feebly, her voice quivering and shaking.

The figure crouched down in a squat behind her, leaning in towards her ear.

"Elena" the voice said breathy. She froze; she recognized the voice. It made the hairs on her neck stand up

"Why are you doing this?" she whimpered. "Please..."

"_What do you fear?"_

The question shot an icy feeling into her chest. She clutched her head, which was now bleeding freely down her face.

"I don't know" she answered truthfully.

The figure behind her sighed. "That Elena..."

The boot made contact with her head again and now her vision finally was blackening. She felt almost thankful, her body relaxing into unconsciousness, her eyelids fluttering.

"Makes you the most dangerous person on this island.." Drake finished, his boot coming back to the ground.

He stepped back from Elena and let the cool air brush past his sweat, cooling him, making his skin tingle.

Drake knew he couldn't stay long, he could feel Nate bubbling at the surface, eager to resume control. It had been a quick change over.  
Too quick. He had taken of Nate's body at the very realization of Sully's disappearing act, threw himself into his consciousness without a second thought.

Because he knew the consequences if Sully got to her.

He knew what Sully wanted.

He looked at Elena thoughtfully and smiled warily. He knew there was something about her he could not quite put his finger on. And now....

Drake winced slightly. Nate was pushing hard on the outskirts of his consciousness, pushing to get back in control. Drake felt a flurry of anger ripple down his bare chest.

How he wished he had full control of his descendants body. He wasn't sure why Nate hadn't completely succumbed his mind to him like the others. Why was it possible for them to switch back and forth? It had taken Drake longer than he anticipated to gain control of Nate in the first place, the first time he was successful being in the ship on the beach with Davidson.

Drake had eventually come up with the theory that it had something to do with their bloodline, their connection. He leant down on a rock, watching the sun bounce its rays of Elena's golden hair. He watched her thoughtfully, a wave of emotions surprising him, bursting through his chest. Feelings of love and longing. Strong and fierce. Belonging to the one lying dormant in his mind...

It was time to put Nate in the driver's seat Drake decided. He stood up and flexed his jaw muscles. _And he wants answers_ he thought a smile playing at the corners of his lips.  
He closed his eyes for a moment and let his mind relax. His muscles twitched involuntarily, his eyes moving back and forth under their lids.

_Nathan is not going to be happy_ was his last thoughts as he stepped begrudgingly into the fog.

* * *

"Oh crap"

The second Nate opened his eyes he bolted to the lake.

His legs were unsteady with the sudden return to his body. They comically shook and staggered as he attempted to push them to the edge of the water. Upon reaching his destination, he collapsed to the ground his stomach finally giving way and proceeded to vomit the contents of his stomach up into the lake.

When he was quite sure he had finished, he exhaled loudly, his hands shaking with the effort. Cold sweat dripped off his bare chest and his stomach was still heaving slightly, nauseated.

"Lunch, Nate. Nate, Lunch" he muttered, using his hands to introduce himself with the mess at his feet. "Pleased to see you again"

Putting other jokes aside he stood up slowly, still slightly off balance. When he was certain he was in control of his legs once again, he headed toward the unconscious figure of Elena, sprawled out on the grass, his heart thumping loudly in his ears.

He wasn't sure of the exact reason why upon awakening he had to throw up. Probably because Drake's consciousness had seized control of him so suddenly. But he believed it was more in part due to what he had just witness him do...

He fell to his knees when he reached her, placing her head onto his lap. Nate gently tapped at her face, calling her name, studying the head wound that had stopped bleeding. He wished he hadn't lost his shirt earlier; he would've made her an appendage to put against the wound.

Guilt flooded his senses, perhaps in part shared by the visitor living under his consciousness. Nate could vaguely remember committing this foul act against the woman he loved. He watched desperately behind his eyes as Drake followed his first blow with another, than another until she finally blacked out.

Tears formed at his eyes but did not release. He held her hand in his, stroking it gently.

"I'm so sorry Elena" he muttered.

"What have I become? Who am I?"

He gently laid her back down, furious with himself for letting Drake gain the advantage and take over. It was not right; it was not how it was usually done.

For instance, Nate hadn't exactly returned to the fog when Drake had taken control. Instead, he had been on a clear beach. He was still dressed in Drake's clothes, still could feel the sand at his feet, but was somehow more aware of his surroundings. He could see in the distance, look up at the dark sky, feel a stronger and much cooler breeze and hear the echo in his voice when he spoke clearer.

But not only that, Nate could sense and feel Drake's movements, his thoughts. As though he were skimming through a book with very small print, picking up words every now and then. Furthermore, he could dimly see outlines, shapes when he closed his eyes. He could see what Drake could see.

And he saw him beating the woman he loved.

Nate's hands shook in anger, his face turning away from Elena. The guilt now overwhelming him.

How could he leave her with that man? He felt sick to his stomach again.

He moved on all fours to the edge of the lake again, heavily nauseated. He fought the urge to look over at Elena again. It just made his stomach heave even more.

Nate sighed and looked deep into the lake, letting his hands lightly skim the surface of the water, tracing lines and circles that would shimmer momentarily in the cool watery glass.

He put his face into his hands and ran his trembling hands through his thick dark hair. He watched himself reflected in the water, watched his expression of utter defeat. He felt a tear slowly release from his eye and watched it drop gently in the lake, smashing his reflection into a million pieces. Nate watched curiously as the man reflected in the water came into focus again as the water calmed and restored his reflection. He watched his facial features suddenly deepen into a determined sneer.

He stared at his reflection in the water, transfixed by clarity of it. He raised his finger again to break the water but his reflection did not follow.

Instead, it stared back at him, frowning, eyes flashing with anger.

Heart thumping, Nate moved his hands back and forth. Again, the reflection refused to follow.

"Are you about done?" asked the image, using his voice.

Nate could feel the words escape his lips, feel the vibration in his chest, but they were not his words...

"Sir Francis Drake I assume?" He asked his reflection, feeling rather silly.

To his surprise, his reflection nodded grimly back. "And you, Nathan Drake, the from the seed in my loins"

Nate grimaced. "Just Nate will suffice"

"Very well. We have much to discuss"

Nate frowned back. "We do. Starting with Elena" he felt the anger in his chest begin to rise. He glared at his reflection.

Drakes expression followed with the same look of anger, which suddenly subsided and was replaced with a calm, sympathetic look.

"I am sorry. But it was necessary"

"How was it necessary? How could you even do it? You are in me, you know me" he could not stop himself now. He was shaking his fist at his reflection. "How could you do it?... to her?"

The corner of Drakes mouth twitched. "I understand your feelings for her"

"No you don't' Nate retorted icily. "You would not have hit her if you did"

Drake nodded. "You have much to understand Nate" he commented. "OK, let me start from the beginning"


	17. The consequences of fear

**Chapter 17**

**The consequences of fear**

* * *

"I, like many other souls that were inexplicably drawn to Soul Aletor have been dead a long time"

"Halfway between worlds, alone in limbo. Dead, but conscious enough to be aware" Drake gave a small, grim smile. "It is like a whole new level of Hell Nathan"

Nate was sitting cross legged in front of the lake, his head resting against his hand. He curiously studied his reflection in the water.

The water was somehow dead still, calm and untouched by the breeze that ruffled gently through his brown hair. He took a moment to note the oddness of the situation he had found himself in and amused himself with thinking how the psychiatrists he was detained to last week would have had a field day with this. Talking, reasoning and arguing with himself.

It was strange to see Sir Francis' words come out of his mouth. He could feel them, vibrating his vocal chords, feel every word form from his lips, but had no control over them. It was an odd feeling. As an only child, Nate had grown up hating to share anything he owned with anybody.

Now, he was sharing his body.

How he hated this.

Nate squirmed uncomfortably. "You're talking about the fog? That's limbo right?"

Drake nodded.

"The Soul Aletor has been dormant for many many years Nathan. The magic that binds a soul to the idol is still active, but the magic to distribute the souls to possess thieves or those who are considered a threat has not been active for a long time"

Nate frowned. "That must be why we weren't affected last time we were here"

Drake nodded. "Exactly. The spell, it seems, got weaker over time and eventually stopped working"

"Then why is the spell suddenly working like a charm? Pun unintended"

Drake leaned in closer the surface. "That would be because of the creatures"

"What did they do? Change the batteries in the Soul Aletor? Turn it off turn it back on?" he asked confused.

"They are smarter than you think Nathan" Drake warned in a voice that sent chills down Nate's back.

"Last week, I felt the presence of the marines on the island. They came in great numbers, searching for the treasure--

"Upon seeing them, the creatures rejoiced. They had found a way off the island. They had found plenty of vessels to possess so they could live again"

"The bodies around the island.." Nate started, his jaw dropping. "They.. They all killed themselves didn't they? The creatures so that their souls were connected to the Aletor and they could possess the living"

"That is true. They knew of the Aletor's power. A mass suicide for all to be reborn again"

Nate shuddered involuntarily. "But how did they reactivate the Soul Aletor's power? Surely they must have known it was dormant?"

"They figured out a way to anchor a soul to this plane of reality. To keep one soul straddled between the fog of the soul Aletor, and to this world"

"Like a bridge" Nate commented. "It's bridging the gap. Allowing souls like you to leave" Drake nodded in agreement.

"That is how myslef and the others are able to get here"

"So , we just need to destroy the bridge? The creature that is allowing the souls to be disconnected from the Aletor" He slapped his hands together. "Easy. I've killed heaps of those things before..."

"--**_One_ **creature on this island Nate. **_One_ **creature is maintaining this connection between the worlds to allow us to possess the living" Drake looked at him expectantly.

Nate went pale. "I see" he swallowed.  
"You're wondering how the hell are we going to find the **one **creature responsible for this?"

Drake sighed and nodded wearily. "Exactly. We need to find the creature responsible, and sever the connection. Once we do that....."

He paused when a couple of leaves in the water drifted over his face. "Mind giving me a hand" he asked pointedly.

Nate grinned as he gently pushed away the leaves.

"Thanks" he muttered. "Once we do that, all the souls will be drawn to the Aletor again and be stuck there for eternity"

Nate noticed Drakes gaze flickered downward momentarily as he said this. He gave himself a sympathetic look when he realized what he had just said. Sir Francis would be stuck in limbo for eternity. Nate felt a pang of sadness for his ancestor.

"OK. Once I find the creatures, how do I sever the connection?"

"you must kill him..."

"Easy"

"In the presence of the Aletor"

"... Crap"

"Indeed. Crap"

Nate sighed. "That's impossible Drake. The Aletor is out there" he gestured toward the vast blue ocean. "I'll never find it, much less swim that low to perform some hokey pokey ritual"

Drakes eyes narrowed. "I don't believe it to be on the ocean floor" he said. "But I don't know exactly where it is. You will have to find it"

Nate stood up from the bank and stretched his legs and arm muscles. He cracked his knuckles and moved his head quickly from side to side. He felt better now that he had a goal, a path. Even if it was seemingly impossible.

"OK. I'm going to start by searching the west. Set a few traps, see if I can lure the bridge out"

Drake shook his head fast. "No Nate" he argued. "The bridge creature will be lying dormant somewhere in the jungle. He will look seemingly dead as do the rest but for one major difference"

Nate squatted down and leaned in close.

"His eyes. They will be_ windows to your soul_"

Nate furrowed his brow. "What does that even mean?"

Drake shook his head.

"When the creatures killed themselves, their souls started to appear in the fog, connected to the Idol from the Soul Aletor. But one particular creature... The bridge creature appeared in the fog where I was but he flickered in and out of limbo, a feat that is truly impossible as he was never in one place or the other"

"I knew instantly what he was doing. I approached him, looked into his eyes and saw my soul.."

"I don't understand"

Drake shook his head. "Neither do I" he admitted. "All I can tell you is when I looked into his eyes, I saw my life. I saw who I was. That's all the information I can give you I'm afraid"

Nate sat back silently, taking this all in. He felt as though he had the answer to this at the back of his mind, but could not place it yet...

"How do people become possessed by the souls connected to the idol anyway." He asked curiously. "I mean, Sully was on the island a good few hours before he got taken over. Chloe too.."

"Fear" Drake stated plainly. "Fear is the deepest _negative_ human emotion. Fear is how one makes themselves vulnerable to possession. It is what allows us to take over a vessel"

"When I saw the bridge in the fog, I knew I had to stop the creatures. I couldn't let them leave the island. but they had already somewhat attached themselves to the marines days ago, so there were no more vessels for me to take over"

"Then, I felt something shift. A glimmer of hope that was pulling me out of the fog. I felt fear. Your fear Nathan"

Nathan looked confused, and like he was about to say something but then stopped. He raised his hands to his mouth slowly.  
"Oh God" he remembered, smacking his forehead

"I knew I shouldn't' t have done that stupid speech"

"Public speaking?" Drakes eyes narrowed. "That was your deepest fear?"

Nate groaned and sat back slightly, his face blushing a crimson red.

"Shuddup"

Drake seemed to find this amusing. "Introducing my great descendant. Will gladly walk through fire, but not address a crowd"

Nate rolled his eyes. "Lame. Ok.. moving on please"

"Well, as you see, I felt your fear from miles and miles away. I latched on to it, pulled myself in to you but was never able to fully make the connection between us" he frowned for a moment. "I'm not sure why exactly, the distance I had to travel to get there maybe, or perhaps just the fact that we are related..."

"So, you put images in my head instead. Sounds, visions of the creatures to lure me to the island"

Drake nodded. "Exactly"

"OK, that makes sense I guess" Nate said. He stood up again. "OK. Now, I better wake Elena..."

"NO"

Nate looked curiously at his reflection which was now glaring at him.

"You can't wake her. You can't take her with you"

"Well I'm not leaving her here!" he retorted.

Drake looked exasperated. "Know this Nathan. Elena is the only person on this island who has not even made a ripple in the fog. She is a strong woman, she has not experienced any fear that is strong enough for a soul to become attached"

Nate turned to her unconscious form, a small feeling of pride enveloping in his chest. _That's my girl_ he thought

"OK, that is good right? Then she is immune?"

Drake winced slightly. "I am not so sure this is a good thing. I think we need to leave her here. If she submits to her deepest fear.... I can't exactly explain it right now, but I believe she is a huge danger to all of us. More so than anyone or thing on this island"

Nate felt a growing power of emotion start to bellow in his chest. "You need to give me a better reason to leave the woman I love out here, on her own" his voice shook with anger

Drake recoiled at Nate's tone. He slumped forward defeated.

"There is something else here in the fog with us. It was here before I died, and I suspect, before a lot of others died" he admitted. "You have felt it?" he asked and Nate shook his head.

"It feels like hands. A force grabbing at you, holding you. You feel it when you cross the bridge. You can't move, you're paralyzed. It wants to come with you"

Nate suddenly remembered leaving the fog the last time he was there with Chloe. Feeling something gripping him, keeping him from moving. He felt uneasy knowing now it was a soul trying to cling on to him.

"What is it?" Nate asked.

Drake shook his head. "No idea. All I can guess is, it's an old spirit. It doesn't seem to take any particular form. Very powerful, always present"

Nate gazed wearily at Elena. "This spirit could get a hold of her" he commented.

"It only tries to grab us when we are in Elena's presence" Drake pointed out. "It must want her as its vessel"

"If she is unconscious she will be immune to possession. That is why I had to hit her. Please understand that"

He gazed back at Elena's still form.

"OK" he said softly.

"If you ever need to speak to me Nate, look at your reflection" Drake said calmly. "I will help you, but for now, you need to get moving. Find the bridge, and bring it to the Idol and kill it"

With that his reflection wavered slightly and Nate felt something shift in his chest, like a weight being lifted. Drake was gone for now.

Nate stood up slowly and walked towards Elena, his feet grudgingly shuffling through the grass. He bent down and brushed a wisp of hair behind her head. He touched her cheek lightly before pressing his lips against hers.

She would be safe up high, he decided. Picking up her limp form, he spotted a low series of strong, thick branches across a huge tree, shaded by vines and foliage.

He placed her gently on the branch, a tear falling down his face, his heart aching.

Now, we begin.

**_(Wonder if anyone picked up any clues over the story about what could happen next? Thanks for the reviews too guys!) -Sariah_**


	18. Messing with Eddy Raja

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Messing with Eddy Raja**

**

* * *

  
**

The trees whizzed past Nate, blurring shades of green and sunlight, poking through the gaps in the leaves.

He was running, fast. He didn't really have any idea where he was going, rather just trying to gather his thoughts and mull things over.

He felt as though he were missing something. Some kind of vital clue. The answer itched his mind. He just couldn't find where to scratch it.

His thoughts turned back to Elena. He smiled at the memory of Drake's words. She was the strongest of them all, Nate shouldn't be surprised. After all, she had been through quite a lot the past few years. His heart thumped a little harder in his chest which he thought was somehow unrelated to his fast jogging pace.

How he hated to leave her there, lying in that tree. He wished there was some other way that he could protect her.

How can you really protect someone from themselves?

Whatever Francis Drake had feared would possess her if she were conscious must be something truly terrifying Nate thought. He could see it in his eyes, well his own eyes anyway, that the disembodied spirit that inhabited the fog frightened him.

He idly wondered what exactly Elena's biggest fear involved. He had seen her scared, frightened sure. But never truly terrified.

Sully's was easy to figure out, Nate had realized once Drake first spoke about fear being a gateway for possession. Sully had lost track of Elena and Nate last night, gotten separated and was alone. Boom! possessed. There was no denying it, Sully hated to be alone. The notches on his bed post were more than enough proof. Nate had been surprised however that Sully had feared being alone above anything else.

_Perhaps you don't truly know someone until you know their deepest fears_ thought Nate.

Hawkins, well. Nate didn't know him from a bar of soap, but if he was like any other high ranking official in an armed force, he knew exactly what he feared.

Losing power. Mutiny. Revolt.

His own fear. Public speaking, Nate blushed slightly.

He pushed through the trees, increasing his speed. Slightly angry at himself that he had been unconsciously slowing his pace thinking of these things now. There would be time for that later.

_But what about Chloe...?_

He stopped running suddenly, his ragged breath cutting through the air.

What did she fear?

He wasn't quite sure why, but he had to know this. This was important somehow. Something he had missed...

He needed to ask her. He needed to go back into the fog. Frantically he searched around for something to cast his reflection. Something that would allow him to speak to Drake.

Drake wasn't in control of Nate's body, so he had to be there now with her. He could find her, and ask her what she feared above anything else. Nate had to know, he felt like the answer was on the tip of his tongue.

Suddenly, a branch snapped to his left. He held his breath, keeping still and craned his neck in the direction. Sure enough, another footstep followed. _Two people_, he estimated.

With no time to lose, he scanned his surroundings, looking for a hiding place. His eyes rested on a thick, low and sturdy tree with plenty of leaves for coverage. He scampered up a tree branch fast, his heart pounding hard in his chest. Bits of bark prodded his legs painfully as he lowered his head down to hear better. _Chloe! Sully! _His heart skipped a beat and he almost called out their names before he corrected himself._ Eddy and Roman_

"He was here" Sully was saying, his nose pointed up in the air.

"Not too long ago..."

Chloe was tapping her gun at her side impatiently. Nate recognized that behaviour from years back when he had done a job with Eddy and Eddy's younger sister Rika.

"Not here. Lets keep moving" She said rolling her eyes back, the gun at her side tapping faster.

If anyone suited Eddy Raja, it was Chloe Frazer. They both despised standing still for any reason, always wanting something to do. Nate had to smile at the sight.

Sully suddenly jerked his head in Nate's direction, and Nate held his breath, fear buzzing through his skull. Nate wondered incredulously if Sully had actually heard him smile.

"What is it...."

Sully's eyes narrowed, his eyes raking through the leaves which concealed Nate.

"Hmmph., Thought I heard something"

After what seemed like an eternity, Nate very slowly exhaled in relief.

"We should get back to the idol" Chloe said

Sully shook his head. "No, Navarro is guarding it"

Nate looked on curiously at Eddy's reaction to this. Eddy looked, strung out, nervous. Nate realized this was probably the soul Aletor. Making minions out of ghosts. Forcing them to want to protect the idol from any harm. Nate thought perhaps that even being away from the idol was causing Eddy distress. Even Roman, in Sully's body looked uneasy at the thought of being away from it.

"Wait here" instructed Sully. "I'm going to climb that" he gestured towards a large, branch-less tree in the distance. 'Get a better view"

Nate frowned. _How is he going to climb it? _He wondered

Nothing could have prepared Nate for what happened next. Astonished, he watched mouth open agape as Sully jumped onto the side of the tree, nails digging in deeply to the bark for leverage. He was inhumanely sure footed, fast and quick, and not long later, he had somehow made the ascent to the top.

How he had accomplished this was unbeknownst to Nate, who had promptly lifted his jaw from off the ground. The way he had climbed the tree looked animalistic and effortless.

"I'm going to look over near the beach" called Sully from the top. "Wait here"

"Yeah yeah yeah" Chloe muttered, but raised her hand in a thumbs up to confirm.

Shaking his head clear, Nate realized that this was now his chance. If he couldn't get to Chloe, Chloe would have to come to him. He lined himself up with her who was now scouring the area with her hand shielding the brightness of the sun. She couldn't see Nate above her. Perfect.

In one quick motion, Nate dropped from the tree and landed on her back, pushing her face first into the dirt. She cried out, but the sound was muffled by the grass. Nate held the gun squarely between her shoulder blades.

"Don't move" he warned, pressing the barrel harder against her. He leaned in close to her ear. "Hands up"

She raised her hands wearily in defeat. Nate took the opportunity to smack her, hard against the temple and she went limp immediately.

He disarmed her as he rose from her unconscious form. He placed her gun in his back pocket for safe keeping. He made sure that she was definitely out before he lifted her over her shoulder and started to slowly jog away from where Sully was going to be.

Not long later, Nate reached a small clearing. He decided he had placed enough distance between him and Sully to buy him at least 10 minutes. _Well, maybe longer_ he countered. He figured that Roman probably remembered how notorious Eddy was for running off and doing his own thing. With that in mind, Nate estimated he could even have a bit longer.

"Come on Chloe. Wake up. Talk to me"

He tapped impatiently at her face and she began to stir almost immediately. Nate's eyes lifted with hope when she began to rouse from her sleep. Her face looked confused, her pale eyes unfocused. He cocked the gun at her chest, keeping it steady.

"Nate?" she prompted, her voice shaking.

"Chloe!" he cried out. His heart leapt "Is it really you?"

"Yes! Yes Nate it is!"

She followed this by leaning in slightly, her lips parting in anticipation for a kiss. Nate felt a rush of confusion fall over him as a million thoughts entered his mind at once, but there was no time to even acknowledge these thoughts. Her lips were coming closer and closer, his eyes began to close as he leaned in......

_Squeeeeeeeeeech_

A considerable and dense amount of saliva and god knows what else landed on his cheek. It began to drip slowly down his face as Chloe began to laugh hysterically. Only it wasn't the cute giggle he was sometimes accustomed to.

It was Eddy.

"Oh man Drake. You should have seen your face!" She said between gasps.

Nate's eyes flashed angrily as he wiped the spit off his face. He was blushing furiously, angry at his stupidity for believing she was Chloe again.

"You're such an ass Eddy" he muttered.

Chloe laughed even harder, looking as though she would never stop.

"You're the one who was going for it anyway Eddy" Nate retorted when her laughter didn't cease.

Chloe wiped tears from her face as her smile faded. "Nah uh! You were so into it!"

"You were about to kiss me admit it!" he pushed the barrel into his former friends chest.

"No I wasn't!" Chloe irrevocably did not like the way this conversation was turning around. She shifted against the gun, her eyes flashing angrily.

"What do you want anyway Drake? You gonna kill me?"

Nate tapped the gun against her collar bone. "That's not an option unfortunately"

Chloe's grin snapped back up fast. She seemed to think the whole situation hilarious. This just angered Nate further.

"What do you want then?"

As Nate took a breath, he noticed Chloe's eyes flicker suddenly to the left side of the forest. Nate hadn't heard anything, but judging by the insane feat of strength Sully had done earlier, he thought maybe she could hear something he was unable to. Her senses were perhaps sharper.

_Was it Sully?_ He strained his ear. There was a definite small rustle in the distance. Was he coming for him already?

Nate took a breath and made the quick decision that he probably only had time to get one answer out of him. Logic was pushing him to ask where the idol was located, but again something pushed heavily into his mind, overriding.

"What does Chloe fear?" he growled at her.

She seemed surprised by the question.

"What do you mean Drake? You want to know what is it that made me able to get in this body?"

Nate grabbed the cuff of her red t-shirt and pulled it in closer. "Exactly"

She folded her arms defensively. "Why should I tell you? You won't harm this body. I have nothing to fear by not telling you"

Chloe looked smugly back at Nate, her eyebrows raised in retaliation. She knew she had won. Nate sighed. How was he going to do this?

"Please Eddy. I need your help on this one. I need to speak to Chloe" He was begging now, but he could see no other alternative.

Chloe just laughed in response, her eyes flickering again to her left which made Nate uneasy.

"Remember your sister Rika?" he asked taking a different approach. "How will she remember you now? An alliance to those monsters?"

Chloe's eyes fell at the mention of her name.

She exhaled loudly, a sob gathering in her throat. Nate recoiled slightly, unprepared for her reaction.

"She is what I miss the most. About living I mean. She was all I thought about in that stinking fog" she cried, her voice wavering.

"You don't understand Drake" she said with a menacing tone. She pushed a finger to his bare chest. "We can't die, we can't leave. I can't leave the island because I don't want to. I don't want to leave that stupid idol unprotected. I can't even explain why"

"Its the spell on it Eddy" said Nate softly, feeling sympathetic to his former friends outburst. "You want to kill me and Elena because you think we're a threat to it. You'll never be able to see Rika"

At the mention of her name again, Nate saw something stir in Chloe's eyes momentarily. Before he had a chance to move in closer to inspect, her body started to shudder violently. He released her top from his fist, gasping back in shock as he watched her erratic spasms, coursing through her body before they finally stopped.

He cautiously leaned in, touching her hip lightly.

She sat up fast, drawing in a massive gasp of air.

"Nate?!"

This time, Nate knew for sure she was back. But there was no time for a reunion. The sound was getting closer, Nate could actually hear something now, albeit far away, but close.

"Listen Chloe, I need to know. I need you to think for me" he gripped her shoulders tight holding her head still.

She looked around in amazement, still shocked and surprised to be back in control. A smile started to form at her lips, but then faded just as fast.

"We're still in danger. Aren't we?" she asked hesitantly

"I think so. I think Sully will be back soon" he lowered his voice to a whisper in case Sully was within earshot. Nate didn't want to know how good his hearing actually was.

"Tell me. When we first got here, you were acting really strangely. You looked frightened out of your wits do you remember?"

Chloe frowned for a moment. "Yes.. That was when we found all the bodies"

Nate nodded. "Why were you so frightened Chloe?"

Chloe looked at him oddly. "It was the weirdest thing Nate" she whispered back. "But I turned one of those bodies over, and I looked into the eyes of one of those creatures..."

Nate jumped slightly as he heard a noise to his left. Closer now...

"Quick Chloe!" he pressed urgently.

"...and the creature looked back at me" she finished.

He looked at her confused. "Looked at you?"

She nodded, pulling her arms in to her chest for comfort.

"Yes, It's eyes were moving, but I was sure it was dead" she shivered slightly. "And looking into it, I suddenly saw everything.. Everything I had ever done in my life, every experience I had ever had all in one split second. I saw myself. My true self"

Nate went pale. "Windows to the soul" he repeated the words Drake had told him earlier. "Chloe, you found the bridge" he stuttered.

She looked at him puzzled.

"Ok Ok. This is what we are going to do" he said. "You're going to pretend like you are still Eddy. Don't act suspicious. You need to appear like you are hunting me to protect the idol"

Chloe nodded, her eyes wide.

"Don't head anywhere to the far west" he gestured to the spot where Elena was sleeping. "Don't run into any of the marine creatures. They want off the island, they have their own agenda so they are not Eddy's allies"

"Don't think about what you saw again" he pointed at her, to emphaise his point. "This is important. Do not feel any fear. Or you will let Eddy back in" He stood up warily to leave.

"Where are you going?" she grabbed his arm, concerned.

Nate sighed.

"I'm going to end this"

He gave her a light peck on the cheek before turning around and sprinting into the trees.

"Nate?" she called.

He spun slowly, looking back at her.

"What happened to your shirt?" she asked, her eyes mischevious and a small grin on her face.

Nate couldn't help but return the smile. He gave her a small wave before he left her.


	19. The Power awakens

**Chapter Nineteen**

**The power awakens**

**

* * *

  
**

Elena's eyes blinked back confusion. Her vision wavered, blurring in and out of focus. A bright blue sky above her with a few sparse clouds. Leaves, trees, the sounds of birds. She brought her body into focus, noting her hands folded and lightly resting against her chest. She watched them rise and fall with the steadiness of her slow and even breath.

With a groan she sat up slowly, gingerly rubbing the wound on her temple. Her fingers raked against dried blood that matted her hair. She grimaced as a wave of nausea threatened to overcome her. When she was satisfied she could stand, she cautiously lowered herself from the branches onto the Amazonian jungle floor.

She lumbered over to the calm and still lake that stretched across the horizon, her feet stumbling in front of her_. I feel like a zombie_ she thought as she lifted her arms in front of her to maintain her balance.

When she reached the bank of the lake, she collapsed into a heap and began to furiously throw the cool cold water against her face. She gazed at her reflection in the water and groaned in disgust.

"I look like a zombie" she muttered.

Still, the water seemed to electrify her synapses, and soon enough, her head felt clearer and her body more alert. She gazed at her surroundings and allowed her memories of what had happened to take over her thoughts.

A tear formed at an eye as she recalled Nate's betrayal. Or was it Drakes?

It had to be Drake she decided. Nate would never raise a hand against her, she was sure of it. He could never betray her.

But she had betrayed him. She grimly thought back at the look of Nate's face when he had awoken to find her kissing Drake. Or so he had thought.

Elena closed her eyes as her memory of the events swam in front of her eyes. She remembered waking up in the tree and seeing Drake sleeping next to her. She recalled leaning in and touching his chest with her fingernails, lightly tapping against his muscles, her hands snaking along his thigh. His breathing was slow and even, unperturbed by her presence.

She couldn't quite explain it, but something was pushing her, something wanted her to touch him, to kiss him. Somewhere deep in her subconscious, a voice was saying that she could bring Nate back and Drake would leave. She would be able to have him again, if she just pressed her lips against his...

But of course, Nate had jumped to conclusions and thought that she was macking Sir Francis Drake. Elena scowled at the thought. Her intentions were completely innocent. Nate should be thanking her; after all, it had worked. He had come through in the end.

Suddenly Elena froze, her eyes widening. She felt a presence behind her, the air got thicker.

"You've found me then" she whispered softly, her heart quickening.

Sully chuckled slightly from behind her. Sully's gruff voice seemed smoother, and more elegant under Roman's possession. She turned around slowly.

Sully and Chloe were standing about 10 feet away from her, their arms crossed. Elena felt a chill down her spine.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked coolly.

Sully folded his arms across his chest. His gaze was steady and menacing as he took another slow step towards her. He did not answer her.

Elena swallowed hard. Her hands shook by her side.

"You could have killed me before" she said bravely. "But you ran away--"

"Because there was something in you I sensed" he cut in. "And I still do"

He took a step forward slightly and Elena unconsciously took one back.

"I need you Elena" he said softly. The lines above Sully's eyes crinkled the way they did when Sully smiled. Elena hated them right now.

"I knew I couldn't quite get you with Drake by your side" he continued.

"But look!" he put his hands in the air and turned in a circle. "He's gone! He left you all by yourself! Unprotected!"

Elena stepped back slightly again, water from the lake lapping against her feet.

"So are you going to kill me" she asked again. She glanced at Chloe who was oddly quiet, her eyes wide and blinking too much. Elena glanced at her oddly and Chloe winked very quickly at her. Elena's eyes quickly darted back to Sully, startled by what she had just seen.

"What if I were to tell you Ms Fisher that I am going to break every bone in your body" he smiled sweetly.

"Well, come over here and try" she tried to threaten but a waver in her voice gave away the act.

Sully frowned at her slightly and took another step forward.

"You are quite a woman Ms Fisher" he said, looking at her curiously.

She ignored the compliment. He was getting closer now, she had nowhere to go. She was trapped.

"But we will find what it is that you fear" he roughly gripped her arm fast. She tried to swipe at him, but he caught her other arm and held it against her back. She howled in pain as he pulled it tighter and tighter, stretching her muscles out.

"For God's sakes, help me Raja you idiot" ordered Sully, struggling to hold Elena steady.

Chloe snapped out of her daze and grabbed Elena's arms, pressing them against her back.

"Let's go shall we Ms Fisher?" Sully asked. "I have someone who's been dying to meet you....."

* * *

The eyes were blank and lifeless, but Nate could sense something stirring underneath. He felt uncomfortable, as if he were being watched. He nervously glanced around him, squinting into the distance but saw nothing. _Paranoid _he thought.

It had taken him most of the day, but he had finally reached the site where they had been just yesterday. The bodies of the creatures littered the area, some in the oddest of areas, underneath rocks, way up in the trees. Nate knew now they had committed a mass suicide, trying to get their souls to inhabit the living so they could finally escape the island, escape the curse.

Well, they had succeeded he thought grimly. But not for long

It didn't take him long to locate the creature he thought to be the one bridging the gap between the fog and reality. It was just where he remembered Chloe starting to lose it.

He bent down into a squat and studied the creature curiously and its eyes burned into his, hollow and lifeless. Nate moved his head slowly from side to side

"Huh" he raised his eyebrow in surprise. Oddly, it appeared the eyes followed him with every move he made.

He could understand why Chloe had freaked out before. The vast emptiness of the eyes of the bridge were haunting and simply hypnotising. He shook his head fast, clearing his head, the cramping of his leg muscles suddenly clouding his consciousness. Nate wondered for a moment how long he had actually been crouching there for. Wondered if had gotten lost in the void...

A smell drifted into his senses, causing him to wrinkle his nose in disgust.

"Erghh" he muttered. "What the hell is that?"

Cautiously, he placed the body of the bridge back down. The smell was getting stronger. The putrid stench of death and decay flowed through the air, despite the fact there was no breeze or wind to carry it.

He moved closer to the trees where the smell was the most pungent. He froze, his head tilting slightly to one side, listening.

He could hear footsteps.

Faintly, in the distance. 50 sets he guessed, perhaps more.

The marines. They had found him.

The marines, wanting a way off the island. Killing those who would stand in their way.

Nate listened again, estimating they were at least 4, 5 miles away. He wondered in disbelief how he knew that, how he was able to hear the advancing troops so sharply over such a long distance.

And why exactly was he still standing here?

He felt calm, an overpowering sense of tranquility as though he had to stand there. He had to be there. There was something he could do, that he had to do.

Dimly a voice spoke in his mind. A whisper. Nate blocked out the marines as he closed his eyes, focusing.

"_Draw on our power"_ Drake's voice hissed. _"Use the connection"_

Nate's eyes snapped open fast. He looked down at his hands, his arms, his legs suddenly seeing them in a different light. He remember Sully before, his inhumane strength, his speed, his agility. He remembered Elena's account of Drake's decapitation of Davies. Could Nate access these abilities too?

He took a deep breath, concentrated on his thoughts and closed his eyes. A flurry of electricity seemed to spark in his fists.

A marine suddenly snarled at Nate, leaping into the air at a tremendous speed from his left. Without even opening an eye, Nate's fist sprang up rigidly, making contact with the marine's jaw. A sickening crunch rang out loudly, and Nate felt the marine's face cave in, his bones felt like cardboard against his knuckles.

He opened his eyes slowly and gazed down at the unconscious marine at his feet. He had definatley broken his jaw, which was now placed at an odd angle. Blood tricked down the marines quivering lips.

"Oh gross" he complained.

A twig snapped behind him. Without thinking, Nate lifted three feet into the air, landing back on to his feet into a forward army roll. His hands automatically lunged out sporadically, making contact with four marines who had snuck up on him nearby. Nate pushed them with so much force that they were catapulted into nearby tree trunks which splintered in half. The marines were thrown to the ground with a sickening crack. A second later, they were back up, having somehow spontaneously recuperated from their injuries, beginning to form a circle around Nate, closing in on him.

Nate's mouth opened in surprise at their strength. "No fair" he muttered.

His arms were now tingling like mad. He felt a surge of power darting through his arms like lightning bolts.

"_Its the connection"_ Drakes voice echoed, louder than before.

"_The fog. The idol. It connects you all. It binds you to the idol, it binds you to each other"_

"_Use the connection. Use the power"_

Nate grinned. This was going to be fun


	20. Jack Frost

**Chapter Twenty**

**Jack Frost**

Three more marines duck into his left vision in a flash. Nate expertly threw his hands out, grabbing the first and throwing it with all his might at the others. The force of Nate's throw sending a shockwave through the air that seemed almost visible to the eye.

A pack grabbed him from behind and slammed him to the floor. He grunted in pain as his spine took the shock of the impact, reverbing up to his head. He twisted and writhed against the hands that held him, that groped his hair and pants.

With an all mighty scream from deep within, Nate used all remaining strength he could muster in lashing out with all his limbs violently. His legs connected with the heads of several marines, the space around him clearing in the process. He stood up, wavering slightly, raising his fist defensively.

A few more lashed out at his legs, cutting deep scratches even through the denim of his jeans. He counter attacked and flipped them on their back in one swift movement.

Nathan breath wheezed and gasped. He was fatigued. A lack of sleep and food were taking its toll, momentarily made his head spin. He stumbled back against a thick tree for support, using this opportunity to gain his breath back.

"Whoa whoa guys! I'm not going to kill you" he put his hands up in defence.

The marines edged closer, either not comprehending or not caring what Nate had to say.

"I know what you want. You want off. You wanna get off this island.." he tried.

This had an effect. The marines stopped skulking forward and eyed him suspiciously.

"You're smarter than when I faced you last time" he noted. He took a small step back, his hands raising slightly higher in a lethargic surrender.

"Because you've possessed these new bodies, you've gained some skills" he deduced. He pointed at himself "I get that. Me too!"

Again the marines merely watched him curiously.

"You may be smarter, but you've missed something very important here. Some vital information I'd like to share with you"

He leaned in closer to the marines as if he were getting ready to tell a secret. They followed suit, leaning in to hear Nate.

"You can't break the Aletor" he whispered with a smile "You will be stuck here until this Earth melts with the sun"

To his surprise the marines merely smiled. Some even laughed, or chortled some vague impression of what laughter may sound like coming from a supernatural creature.

Suddenly the marines parted. A hush fell among them, their heads lowering slightly.

A marine with light ginger hair and faint freckles on the bridge of his nose had suddenly raised his hand. Nate recognised him instantly as Frost, the marine in charge from the campfire last night. He walked confidently and calmly up to Nate, a blank and lifeless expression on his face.

"That is what you think" Frost said simply.

Nate gasped at the voice emitting from the shell of the marine. It was civilised, poised and almost perfect in diction. Barely recognisable from the snarls he had heard Frost grunting earlier.

Frost suddenly cocked his head to one side as though listening.

The rest of the marines stopped adruptly, watching him cautiously.

The ginger haired marine's mouth twitched a sadistic smile.

"She will help us escape" he rasped.

Nate's eyes opened wide. "No..."

"We have found her"

The words fell on Nate like a ton of bricks.

The marines all began to skulk away, grinning at each other, apparently pleased by this news.

"Elena..."

Something grabbed his shoulders from behind roughly. A marine had snuck behind him. The marine lifted Nate as if he were a bag of feathers and held him over his head.

The next thing Nate knew he was being spun around fast on top of the marines head. The world spun in a dizzying blur as Nate tried to grasp on to something. The marine let go, and Nate sailed through the air legs flailing wildly trying desperately to grab onto something to break his fall. The wind whistled past his ears and he lost track sense of up and down.  
A blow to his stomach grounded his vision as he smacked into a tree branch causing stars to dance around his eyes.

He couldn't breathe. The air, knocked out of him, each inhale caused his chest to constrict horribly. No oxygen. He was panicking, he was falling, he was fading...

The next thing Nate knew his nose was being tickled by a butterfly. He opened his eyes slowly, groaning waving his hand over his face to shoo the insect away.

Sitting up slowly, he examined his injuries and found it all to be minor scrapes and cuts. His left ankle took a beating on the fall and shot a wave of pain up his leg as he attempted to stand on it. It trembled beneath his weight and threatened to fall, but Nate bit his lip as he paced on it, trying to ease the pressure on the muscle.

"I hate this place" he said to a nearby parakeet which looked at him quizzically.

It took him some time to reach the site again, his leg slowing him down, but he pressed on with the thought of Elena in his mind. By now, the sun was setting slightly and Nate angrily wondered how long he had been lying out cold on the jungle floor.

Leaning down, he gingerly poked at the Bridges body with his finger. It's eyes continued to stare at him, unblinking. It was still offputting.

_Ok. _

_I've got the body_

_Now what?_

He groaned in frustration, kicking a nearby rock so hard it shattered into a million pieces. He slumped to the ground in defeat, his hands clutching at his head.

_Think Nate Think_

_I need to find the idol_ he thought. _Kill the creature near the idol, sever the connection, get my friends back..._

He closed his eyes and straightened his spine. Inhaling deeply through his nose, Nate attempted to clear his mind, empty it of all thoughts and distractions, trying to connect to the idol.

_Where is the idol?_

"Drake said he didn't think it was in the sea" Nate muttered, his eyes still firmly shut.

"I could drag him outta limbo and ask him again..."

His eyes snapped open.

"Limbo" he repeated. "Where exactly is limbo?"

He began to rise slowly. He grabbed a long jagged stick from the ground and began to furiously scribble into the dirt.

"When Drake.." he started, drawing a basic stick figure. "... takes over my body..." he added another stick figure with buffed up biceps for good measure.

He drew a line between the two and studied it.

"...I take his place..."

_The soul Aletor._

_Of course._

The souls of those who died on the island, ripped from their bodies and attached to the idol.

Limbo was the idol.

He slammed his eyes shut again, furiously running his memories of the fog through his head like a movie on fast forward. He didn't remember anything distinctive, other than the strange mist that obscured his vision. He recalled it being colder, darker and...

"An echo?" he asked aloud.

Nate could vaguely remember his voice reverbing against a wall, but sand at his feet.

"A cave?" he wondered aloud.


	21. Forgive me

**Chapter Twenty one**

**Forgive me**

Sully wrinkled his nose in annoyance as a cold drop of water fell from the jagged roof of the cave, bouncing onto his nose.

The cave was dark and cold. The squeals and squeaks of the bats that inhabited the large sea cliff cavern were only muffled slightly by the pounding of the waves crashing against the rocks outside. It was getting dark, dusk had fallen and the only thing completely perceivable in the cave seemed to be Chloe's bright orange t shirt which gave the illusion of a disembodied torso.

The jagged stalagmites and stalactites were proving difficult to manoeuvre around, especially with his fingers locked tightly around Elena's wrist. She had initially struggled and kicked, but now quietened down when he threatened to hurt the shell he inhabited.

They had been walking for a little over 10 minutes; Sully knew the idol was getting close. He could feel it. Its presence radiated through the walls like a strong signal.

They turned the final dark corner, Chloe leading the way when Elena let out a shriek of surprise, stumbling in her step.

Sully didn't blame her. The El Dorado idol had come into their line of sight. Even from far away, the statue was huge, threatening and menacing giving off an eerie and foreboding sense of terror.

It seemed to illuminate the entire structure of the cavern. A gold sheen of light bouncing of walls, lighting up even the darkest corners.

A rustling of stones to their left caught the attention of Sully whose head darted to one side. He peered around the corner into the darkness, curiously.

"Check it out" he ordered Chloe, who nodded a bit too fast and disappeared into the black.

Elena was whimpering slightly, her eyes darting around the cave nervously.

"You're insane to believe that you'll get away with this" she suddenly snarled at him, teeth blaring.

Sully simply laughed in reply.

Chloe returned a moment later, her shoulders lifting in a shrug of apparent confusion.

"Nothing there"

Sully seemed satisfied. "Ok, keep moving" he pushed against Elena's back and she cried out in pain.

A few times, Elena attempted to catch Chloe's eye, fully knowing that the spirit of Eddy somehow had left her and she was herself again, but Chloe refused. She looked uncomfortable now, even more so than before. As Elena walked behind her, she noticed Chloe touching her back pocket with a trembling hand. Elena noticed from behind her that Chloe had raised a silent finger to her lips and was now shaking her head slowly. Elena bit her lip.

Meanwhile, Sully had pulled a freshly cut cigar out of his pocket and was now fumbling for a lighter.

"Eddy, your matches" he grunted.

Chloe didn't reply at first, continuing to walk closer to the statue.

"Eddy" he grunted louder, annoyed.

Chloe looked startled for a moment, her huge eyes widening in surprise. Her look faulted and was replaced by a look of nonchalance as she began patting down her pants in search for the match book. Elena bit the inside of her lip harder, tasting blood. Chloe was acting suspicious. But If Sully had seen the look of surprise on her face, he certainly didn't show it.

She tossed him a grungy dirty matchbook, and with the one free hand that wasn't clutching Elena's wrist, Sully lit the match in one expert flick.

"You know, I could get used to this" he said puffing away gently.

Elena narrowed her eyes.

"You're not going to keep that body" she threatened, eyes flashing.

Sully smiled.

"The thing you don't realise Ms Fisher" he began, smoke rings gently wafting through the air "..Is that nice people like you and Nate, are so easy to manipulate"

She frowned slightly, glancing at Chloe who wore an equally confused expression, albeit subdued.

"We will be free and Nate, will fall victim to his own hubris"

"His hubris?" Elena frowned. "His pride? He will fall victim to his pride?"

Sully winked at her and Elena felt anger boil at her brim.

"Of course. After all, Nate must _always_ save the girl" he said. He stared at her with an ominous grin. He pushed her closer to the idol and down to her knees.

From the floor, now Elena could see the cave was far from empty as she had previously thought. Apart from Sully and Chloe standing behind her, Elena could just make out the shadows of a hundred fully possessed marine soldiers appearing out of the darkness. The moved slowly and deliberately, almost at the exact same pace, their boots echoing like a metronome off the stone walls.

The idol pressed stood tall and impressive behind her. Elena thought perhaps she was imagining things, but the air seemed thicker and hotter now she was so close to it. She could almost feel the air vibrating with power.

She choked back a scream.

"He's coming" called a voice from the entrance to the cave. Elena recognised it immediately as Hawkins.

"Good" Sully smiled.

_Nate? _Elena thought hopefully.

The marine known simply as Frost stepped forward in front of the rest.

"My fellow soldiers" he began, his voice ringing out against the walls. "Today, is the first day of our new lives"

This was met with applause and cheering amongst the men. Elena heard Sully chuckle behind her.

"Today, we offer El Dorado that which he requires most. That which he has been denied for centuries upon centuries"

He bent down until he was level with Elena. He gently touched her chin, lifting her face so their eyes met.

"You are a very special person Ms Fisher" He said softly.

"Now tell me, what do you fear?" he whispered.

Elena struggled against his grasp but he held her shoulders tight.

"Love and Fear" he continued, looking directly into Elena's eyes. Elena looked back realising not an ounce of humanity was left in this poor man. In any of them.

"Love and Fear. Opposite ends of the emotional spectrum, yet they are not mutually exclusive-"

-Love cannot exist without fear and fear cannot manifest form without love"

This erupted in roars of applause, loud and thunderous against Elena's ears.

Frost stroked wayward strands of her long blonde hair affectionately. Her eyes seethed with disgust.

"This female being will become the vessel the El Dorado spirit will inhabit. She will be bound to him eternally, addressing his need, acting as a puppet when required"

Elena shook with fear, a small tear rolling down her cheek.

"He will accept out offering. We will be free!"

A slow, steady and lonesome applause rung loudly and rather sarcastically from the back of the crowd. The crowd parted, confused until the source of the clapping was revealed.

"Nate?" Elena cried in disbelief.

He stopped clapping and flashed a trademarked sheepish grin. Elena breathed a sigh of relief. Other than a few new cuts and scrapes on his still naked torso, he looked relatively unharmed. The body of the bridge creature was slung casually over his shoulder like a prized meat.

"Hey babe. Miss me?" he said cheekily.

"Nate? What are you doing?" she gasped.

"Nathan Drake" Frost smiled, revealing his glistening teeth. "And Sir Francis if I'm not mistaken. Dormant perhaps, but nevertheless listening intently"

Nate smiled slightly as he felt his ancestor twinge slightly in his subconscious as if answering the question.

"Well this is embarrassing" Nate said. He walked directly past a line of snarling marines, and carefully placed the body of the bridge in front of the statue.  
"You know my name, yet I don't know what to call you? Animated disfigured corpse? Zombie boy?"

Frost laughed his eyes twinkling. "You are a funny man Mr Drake. A stupid man, but a funny man"

He eyed the bridge at Nathan's feet.

"And I suppose your plan is-"

"To kill the bridge. Sever the connection. Put you assholes back where you belong?" Nate interrupted innocently. "Yep. That would be the plan"

"And save the girl" added Frost.

Nate's smile faded as he glanced down at Elena's feet. Their eyes locked for what seemed like an eternity before his lips parted and he whispered so quietly, Elena could barely make out the words.

_"I hope you will someday forgive me"  
_

Nate's eyes darted away so fast and Elena wondered if she had imagined it. Frost seemed to not notice or hear Nate's cryptic words.

He walked around Nathan, circling him, studying him intently.

"We actually know more about you Nathan than you think" Frost said.

"Is that so?" Nate asked frowning. "Enlighten me"

In a quick flash, Frost's hand grabbed Chloe's wrist. He twisted her arm until it was at an odd angle on against her back. She yelped in pain.

"For instance, I knew you would assume that we were not aware that one in our mix was no longer possessed" He grabbed Chloe's long dark hair and pulled it back hard. She howled in agony.

"Because you underestimate us. You think us stupid. You wrongly predicted our actions" Frost continued as Chloe struggled against his grip. He threw her to the ground

Frost leaned in close to Nathan's ear

"But I can predict yours..

"See we expected that you would come after the girl-

"In fact...We counted on it"

A sickening sound of bones crunching suddenly filled the air. Nathan grunted in surprise.

"NOOoooo!" Elena screamed, throwing herself at Nate. Sully held her back, her arms flailing in terror.

Nate looked at her. The woman he had loved so much with all his heart. The woman who completed him, who made him feel like a man, not just a treasure hunter, a killer or an orphan.  
His head felt suddenly heavy, his eyelids flickered. The cave seemed darker somehow, the gold light fading, Elena's face fading...

His fingers felt wet. He raised trembling hands to his eyes.

_Blood.  
_

"You should never have come here Nathan Drake-" Frost hissed.

The tip of a sword was protruding through his chest.  
He gazed at her almost sadly. Her eyes were pooling with tears, her mouth frozen in a silent scream. How he longed to touch those golden waves of angel hair just one last time...

"-Because if you hadn't come, we could never be free" whispered Frost his mouth curling in a snarl. He twisted the knife with an aching grunt and Nathan's eyes widened. Blood dribbled down his lip.

"_Your death is Elena's fear"_

Elena's eyes suddenly went wide with fright. Nathan suddenly felt the urge to comfort her, to embrace her and tell her it was all going to be alright.  
_  
"You set us free"  
_  
He wanted to tell her he loved her but instead he gurgled blood, some dripping down his bare chest. His breath slowed, he choked, his lungs filling. He couldn't make his mouth move, he couldn't say a word. He slumped to the ground and was finally still.

And with that, Nathan Drake was dead.

Elena's head suddenly snapped back, her eyes glowed a fiery red and she let out a inhumane scream.  
**  
The end... Nah, next part up soon!**


	22. The Goodbye

**Chapter Twenty two**

**The Goodbye  
**

****

She was lost.

Lost in the fog.

One minute passed. She still couldn't quite comprehend what had happened. She still couldn't move.

Lost.

"Where...?" she murmured, her hand finally responding to her brain and coming up to her forehead.

_Where_ was she?

She took a few cautious and tentative steps, her feet sinking lightly into sand. She glanced down at her arms, touched the side of her head where she had been struck earlier. Nothing. Not even dried blood remained.  
She squinted into the distance. A blanket of mist obscured almost everything, although faint outlines of people were just barely visible.

"Huh" she said simply. "Ok then"

She walked up to the most defined shadow, her feet slightly more unstable than what she was used to. Flexing her toes, she began a light job through the fog, squinting into the horizon, trying to find her bearings.  
The figure of a man came into view gradually, popping into focus as would a camera. It was a man. A wandering man wearing an army uniform.  
He didn't see her, or take notice of her. He appeared lost in his own thoughts, walking in circles. She wanted to reach out and touch him, comfort him somehow. He looked so lost..  
Another man to her left suddenly brushed passed her. She gasped with fright.

It was Frost.

Only, he was acting odd too. Muttering to himself, looking sad and melancholic, fresh tears dotting his pale freckled cheeks.

A voice made her head turn suddenly. Someone calling her. She was sure of it.

"Nate?" Elena called. "Nate is that you?"

A figure walking steadily towards her lifted a hand in response. Her eyes lit up as he came into focus through the fog. It was him. It was Nate.  
He was completely intact, wearing his jeans and white shirt, not a scratch on him. He smiled at her in an odd way, in a fake way, as if he were masking something she couldn't quite see.

"Oh God Nate it's so good to see you" she squealed jumping into his arms.  
"What happened? What's going on?"

Nate's grin stretched into an even more forced expression.

"How are ya kiddo" he said, squeezing her tight.

"Nate where are we? What happened? I don't remember..."

And with that her memories returned. She raised a shaky hand to her mouth, aghast. Transfixed by a flurry of sounds and images running through her head. The cave, the idol, the creatures... Something else she couldn't quite recall, but felt it was important...

"Oh my God. I've been possessed. This is limbo" she whispered.

Nate merely nodded.

"Chloe.. She's out there by herself!-"

"Its ok. Calm down-"

"-Sully? Sully must be here! Is he ok?

"-Elena please.. listen—"

"—They're going to get off the island! They're going to take our lives, our bodies! Leave us here!"

"ELENA"

She was silent.

"That is not going to happen" Nate said slowly and confidently. Again, his mouth twitched into an unnatural grin. "We can fix this"

She nodded, her head buzzing with energy. She expertly cracked her knuckles.

"OK. I'm ready. What's the plan?"

Nate took a deep breath. "OK. Earlier on, I stole Sully's Zippo lighter. I gave it to Chloe when you guys were walking in here together. I put it in her back pocket. You need to get back control of your body, and light that asshole bridge on fire-"

"-Wait wait wait" she put her hands up in protest. "Get control of my body? Nate! An Ancient powerful spirit is in there at the moment. What do you expect me to do? Ask it if we could take turns driving?"

He actually laughed as she said this. "You still don't get it do you?"

"Get what?"

"You are the one who will save them all"

She frowned. "What? Me?"

"You're the strongest person here. You're the strongest out of all of us!"

Elena burst out laughing. "Yeah and the gaping head wound is proof of that" she scoffed sarcastically.

Nate sighed. "Listen to me. There is something... something about you. You're special. You've always been special. Don't you see it?"

She shook her head in reply, confused.

"Sir Francis Drake told me that you were the most dangerous person on this island. You were always the most dangerous. The second you stepped out of that plane, you were chosen for this God to inhabit. Not me, not Sully, not any of those buffed up army men. Why do you think that is?

She shrugged. "I don't know"she admitted.

"Its love" he said, taking her hand in his. She watched as he gently turned her palm upwards and stroked her fingers.

"Love and fear. The spirit possessed you through fear. You can take it back with love"

"You can do this. You can fight back. Be strong. They chose you for a reason Elena. Because you are most worthy. Back in the ship's hangar yesterday morning, Davidson attacked you. He saw you as the vessel, he attacked you. He even spoke, he said "_you_" but I thought he was talking about me"

Nate closed her hand and it fell limply by her side.  
"But he wasn't. Wasn't he? He said that to you?"

Elena's looked down at her hands, remembering the look on Davidson's face as he stared at her with such hatred and malice. "_You.."_ he had snarled while Nate's back was turned. She nodded.

"I can't do this..." she stuttered.

"You can and you will. The Spirit is pure fear. You can fight it with love"

"How do you know this will work?"

"Eddy Raja left Chloe's body because I brought on thoughts about his sister, Rika. He was thinking about her, how much he missed her and suddenly he disappeared-

"-You are the embodiment of love just as the spirit is the form of fear. You radiate it. I feel it when I look at you; I felt it when I first laid eyes on you Elena. Your biggest fear for God's sake was watching someone _else_ suffer. Watching me die. You're the one who-"

"Wait wait. Stop" she lifted her hand as a signal to stop talking. Her eyes grew vacant, her eyebrows lowered. After a moment of silence, she stared at him, completely flabbergasted.

"You... You're dead"

Nate nodded.

"You... You _died?"_

"Elena-"

"Before, you said I was the one who could save them all" she said, her eyes darting back and forth in her head. "But not you..."

Nate sighed.

"You're staying here aren't you?"

"I can't leave Elena. I'm dead"

Her eyes filled with tears. "But when I destroy the bridge... I set fire to the bridge with the lighter... You'll come back won't you?" she said in a small voice.

He shook his head.

"My body is dead Elena. I don't see how" His voice was higher than usual.

"Then I'm staying" She crossed her arms and sat on the ground, cross legged.

"Elena—"

"You planned this didn't you?" she interrupted, eyes flashing with anger.

Nate nodded. "I knew that I couldn't get to the statue and kill the bridge with everyone around. So I improvised"

"You planned to _die_ to save me?"

"I needed some way to talk to you. And I had to get the bridge somehow in front of the Idol... I really didn't see any other way"

"This is bullshit Nate" she cried frostily, her hands defensively crossing on her chest tighter.

He squatted next to her, pushing their foreheads together.

"I'm sorry Elena. Please forgive me" he pulled her into a tight embrace.

They held each other for a good few minutes. Nate gently stroked her hair and breathed in the scent of her perfume.

"You put a lot of faith in me Nate" Elena sobbed. Tears now running freely down her face. "How do you know I can do this?"

He leaned in closer to her and ran his hand down her soft cheeks.

"Because I love you"

He almost whispered the words, but they tingled down Elena's spine and resonated loudly through her body. Her skin prickled with electricity, spots began to dance in front of her eyes... She felt cool all of a sudden. She could feel a breeze...

"I love you too... you know" came her muffled voice from his shirt. Her voice sounding further and further away..

He tried to clutch her harder, but Nate knew she was disappearing. A moment of panic jolted through his heart as he realised he was saying goodbye for the last time.

"I'm coming back for you Nate" her voice wafted through the air as she finally completly vanished.

_"Goodbye Elena..."_


	23. The battle within

**Chapter Twenty three**

**The battle within**

* * *

  


Elena opened her eyes warily. The world was hazy, fuzzy and unfocused. Her eyes hurt and stung as she attempted to blink back a few tears to clear her vision, but she found she couldn't even bat an eyelid.

She tried to move her fingers but they did not move, her hand rigidly set by her side.

It was like she was completely paralysed. Awake and aware, but completely frozen. Her brain refused to respond to the desperate signals she was sending to her hands, to her legs to move. To run.

She suddenly became aware of people talking, sounds seeping into her perception, faces swimming before her eyes. Her focus gradually became clearer and steady.

Her body was merely a puppet.

She could feel the El Dorado spirit within her chest. Cold and vibrating. But at the same time, her body felt calm. Elena decided the spirit may not be aware of her presence.

"We offer these men's souls in our place" Frost stood forward, his voice shaking slightly. He looked nervous, not quite meeting Elena's gaze. He fidgeted on the spot and rubbed his hands through his red hair.

"They will protect and serve you throughout eternity. All we ask in return... is our freedom"

This was met with a hushed silence from the soldiers who looked fearfully at Elena, awaiting her answer. She wanted desperately to scream, to answer them no, but her lips were out of her control.

At her feet, Elena could just make out the body of the Bridge, brown and leathery. Its black glassy eyes were currently fixated on hers. Its mouth forever frozen in an odd mix between a snarl and a scream. She wondered fearfully if it knew she were in there.

_"Freedom?"_ growled the spirit inside Elena. She resisted the urge to cry out in shock as its voice rumbled a cold chill up her throat.

_"Freedom into the afterlife?"_

Frost hesitated slightly as Sully stepped forward and spoke. "No.. Freedom in these vessels"

Elena felt a snarl curl on her lips.

_"You wish to live another life? Have you not lived enough?"_

"Yes my lord.. I mean... but.. We lived to serve you.."

_"You wish to abandon me"_

"Please" Frost was now resorting to pleading. He bowed his head low and Elena felt the spirit recoil in disgust at his display of weakness.

_"I am a giver of life. I am a destroyer of life. There is nothing beyond these shores worth more than my very breath"_

"My men..." Frost sputtered. "My men have travelled from so far.. from so long ago. We only wish to return to our homeland and live the life we were denied"

_"I gave you eternal life"_ rasped Elena.

"We have given you a vessel!" chimed in Sully.

Elena felt the spirit considering. It flexed her arms testing her muscles. It held her hand to her face, studying her long slender fingers.

_"It is worthy"_ she said finally. _"Your request has been granted. I will release you from the curse"_

Elena felt a surge of anger rip through her insides. She knew it was her own emotion bursting through and not the spirits.

It sensed it.

It sensed her presence.

She felt her body tense up. It was now or never. She had to gain control now before it was too late.

She concentrated hard on pushing her emotions through an invisible barrier in her mind, letting thoughts of Nate slide gently through her subconscious. His hair, his smile, his laugh...

She felt the spirits hold suddenly slacken and release. It disappeared into the recesses of her mind as a wave would slither away from sand with the tide. She felt the tips of her fingers fill with warmth and the tips of her toes tingle with an electric sensation. Her lungs inhaled a shaky breath, her eyes blinking erratically.

She was back behind the driver's seat.

_Now what?_

_Chloe.._

Chloe had kept quiet and hidden from view the entire time, curled with her legs to her chest. Hawkins stood behind her, a gun lazily resting between her shoulder blades. Chloe's eyes stared vacantly at the happenings around her as though she were merely a spectator in a dream. She looked completely drained of emotion with a blank stare of complete emptiness.

Chloe had given up.

Elena swallowed the lump gathering in her throat. She was suddenly aware that she was still in the huge desolate cave amongst one hundred supernatural beings controlling the bodies of one hundred super buff American soldiers.  
She took a deep controlled breath knowing full well in order to get through this, she must maintain the charade.

Sully was looking at her quizzically.

"My lord-?" he prompted. "The Aletor? You will lift it?"

"In a moment" she commanded in what she hoped was a powerful confident voice of authority.  
"There is something I must do first"

She moved swiftly towards Chloe, her legs buckling slightly at the crook of her left knee. She felt the eyes of the men staring at her, watching her every move.

"You have something for me" Elena said, her palm outstretched and trembling slightly.

Chloe raised an eyebrow slowly before obliging and placing her hand in her back pocket. A moment later, she pulled out Sully's Zippo lighter which she gingerly placed on Elena's outstretched hand.

"My Lord?" suspicion edged Sully forward.

"This is how I must break the Aletor" Elena lied. "Stand back"

Suddenly, a surge of energy from deep within herself catapulted Elena to the ceiling of the cave. Her limbs flailed helplessly as she hit the jagged roof with a sickening crunch. She gasped as the air was knocked out of her lungs with the impact.

She was being pushed up against the roof, her back hard against the cold granite. A force was holding her in place as she looked powerlessly at the people below who were staring up at her in horror and confusion

"_You belong to me"_ a voice in her head thundered. The sound reverbed through her skull making her shriek in terror.

She struggled to free herself from its invisible grasp but it was futile. It was pushing against her chest so hard that she realised she hadn't taken a breath in a long time. Her head spun. Her legs and arms dangled limply in the air.

Elena could feel herself fading away and her mind sliding down peacefully. Time seemed to pass slowly. She felt warm inside and dazed. Fog was dancing in front of her eyes and she welcomed it. The spirit had somehow used a kind of energy it manifested as a force that had thrown her body so hard into the ceiling.

The spirit had taken hold. Satisfied, it gracefully dropped Elena from the ceiling landing elegantly in front of Frost.

Taking the last breath she could muster before she lost control of her body, Elena filled her lungs with a long deep exhale and the thoughts of Nate's kisses tingling her lips.

And she pushed back.

The spirit had no time to react. Her body flung through the crowd violently, parting it down the centre as the soldiers frantically tried to move out of her path. The force Elena exuded from love within her was so powerful that her legs and arms stretched horizontally as the air whistled past her ears. She was moving at incredible speed, flying through the cave.

She felt a sudden change in air, a cool damp breeze and with a loud thud she hit the sandy ground of the beach. Her impact gathered a wall of sand against her back as she gradually lost momentum and eventually stopped moving.

Elena, now lying flat on her back felt a little dazed and confused, stared curiously at the black and starry sky that enveloped her senses. Wearily, she sat up pulling clumps of sand out of her hair.

"Not the best look for me" she commented with a half smile. She coughed and spluttered sand that somehow made its way into her mouth, before shakingly coming to her feet.

Was it gone? Was the spirit no longer possessing her body?

She gazed around, mesmerised. The ocean waves crashed loudly in the distance. She watched them thoughtfully when she felt a slight twinge from insider her. Something stirring...

It wasn't over.

The spirit growled. Elena felt pressure on her neck. She rubbed it absent mindly, trying to push thoughts of Nate into her head but the pressure increased. Soon, it started to feel as though claws were digging at her neck.

"Urghh" she gasped as her hands futilely clutched at her throat.

A tremendous roar erupted from her throat as her body suddenly hiked into the air, this time under the spirits control. The world spun above her in a whirlwind of stars and the strangled shriek of her screams. She impacted hard into the ocean with an almighty crash.

Blindly, she fought her way to the surface. Her mouth agape, spitting the cold sea water out and trying to sharply inhale a quick breath. As expected, a brute force pushed her head under the water again.

The spirit was attempting to drown her. An invisible foe. There was nothing to fight off. It wanted control. It wanted her dead.

Sounds were muted. Her eyes filled with the murky darkness of the water. She imagined Nate's face and felt a warm power spark pathetically in her belly before it seemed to flicker out of existence.

She choked on a mouthful of water as her lungs burned with lack of air. This was it. The invisible hands held her tighter under the water. A cruel laugh seemed to echo through her mind.

Her thoughts turned to the fog where Nate would be waiting for her and the spark ignited again. Weak, like a candle precariously dancing in the wind.

Memories of her life flashed before her eyes like a movie. Her mother, her father, her first kiss, her last kiss...

Her mind seemed set on one particular memory. The cave, the spirits voice bouncing off the walls of the cave, boomy and unnatural... something it said.

Her eyes snapped open.

A sonic boom echoed through the sea causing huge ripples to erupt within the water. The explosion thundered and vibrated through the air like a thousand bombs. The silhouette of a lone figure emerged gently from the chaos in the water. The figure rose, arms outstretched, head slumped forward.

Elena was back.

She grinned.

"Let's do this.."


	24. Goddess

**Chapter Twenty four**

**Goddess  
**

Chloe ducked under a swinging fist and shot her leg out sharply in a desperate attempt to free herself from the chaos. Her leg made contact with the shins of a nearby solider who crumpled to the ground howling. Her breath was hard and ragged as she pushed herself through the crowd, leaping over rocks and ducking under the constant barrage of kicks and punches that came dangerously close to her face.

Elena's dramatic exit had thrown the soldiers into complete disarray. There was shouting and pushing, frantic shoving as they bumbled around in confusion and anger. Their demands lay unmet, their future uncertain. They responded by yelling, then throwing punches. Then all hell had broken loose.

There were screams and cries of anguish from all around. Someone pulled on her red t shirt, ripping the neck slightly as she jerked away to get it loose. Bodies hurling throughout the room rained from the ceiling. Torches that once allowed light to bounce of the walls were now becoming extinguished, leaving Chloe only just able to make out her hands in front of her.

She lunged towards a nearby alcove as a soldier was thrown near her feet. She landed with a grunt, rolling into a commando roll to protect her back.

She peered out carefully from her small confined recess, keeping her limbs tightly close to her torso, out of sight.

This was madness. The men had completely lost it. Chloe watched in horror as she saw the men literally tearing each other apart. Blood splattered against the walls, bones crunched and snapped in two. Chloe put both hands on her ears to try to block out the sickening sounds.

The sights she had just witnessed brought a feeling of cold dread to her chest. She panicked, wondering if she were about to succumb to the fog again, fear allowing Eddy Raja to take hold of her. She thought for a moment she could actually feel Eddy twinging at her mind but decided it was her imagination.

But the sight of Elena being thrown around the cave like a rag doll by an invisible enemy had definitely terrified her .

In a way, Elena had almost become like a sister to Chloe. The sister she had never had. Chloe had grown up back in Melbourne with three very much older, very protective brothers. A tomboy at heart, they taught her to fight, to be alert and above all not to trust anyone.

Chloe chewed the inside of her lip, shaking her head. She felt responsible for Elena in a way she couldn't quite understand. Her brothers had always looked out for her, walking her home from school, beating up her ex boyfriends who had turned out to be jerks.

And she had always wanted a sister. Someone _she_ could look out for and protect.  
_  
Elena..  
_  
Chloe had blown it.

She cursed silently to herself. She had never felt more alone in her life.

What she would give to become a young girl again. What she would pay to suddenly be transported back home to Australia, with her brothers holding her hand as she crossed the road, picking her up from school..._  
_  
Of course, she had some idea that Nate was planning to do something incredibly stupid. She scowled as she recalled earlier how he had grabbed her as Sully sent to investigate a noise he had undoubtedly created. He pulled her aside and told her to keep Sully's lighter in her back pocket. He assured her Elena would know what to do with it when she was ready.

_"Nate... Are you sure about this plan?" she had asked him, bewildered._

He had given her a lopsided smile.

"Desperate times" he had said shrugging.

She couldn't help but smile.

Nate was always like that. He would launch into some crazy display of heroics that would seem impossible at first glance but ultimately fall into place perfectly at the end.

After all, that was how it had always been done with Nate.

_He was always so lucky..._

She peered from behind a rock, keeping her body low to the ground and out of sight. She could still make out his body lying awkwardly on the ground...

She shut her eyes fast and winced as a wave of emotion set to overcome her. _Not now_.. she told herself. _Fall apart later_

But emotions threatened to overcome her. Chloe shook with anger, her fingers balled in a tight fist. She still hadn't completely comprehended what she had seen before and still felt as though she were in shock.  
_  
_A sudden hush dispersed through the crowd snapping her back into reality. She looked for the source as she watched the men glancing around at each other in fright.

"She's coming back!" called Hawkins from the front of the cave.

Chloe frantically darted her head from side to side, trying to locate Elena. She stared in shock as eventually the soaked figure of Elena finally emerged from around the corner.

Elena looked furious, her eyes menacing slits. Her hands were clenched at her sides so tight Chloe could make out the veins on her pale skin. Her mouth was pulled back into a sneer and she walked forcefully and deliberately. The air around her seemed electric with power. The soldiers felt it, all talk immediately ceasing, heads lowering and their eyes averting from her gaze.

Chloe took a tentative step back, hesitant of the strange unfamiliar woman who was forcefully pushing her way towards her. This wasn't right.

Chloe stepped closer as she watched Elena walk straight to the idol, staring at it, transfixed. Her eyes snapped shut. Then slowly opened again.

They were white.

Her eyes glowed and illuminated a white light so powerful Chloe had to squint to continue watching. She gasped as Elena raised her hands to the ceiling and brought them down fast.

They immediately ignited.

The men gasped. Sully stepped forward, his eyes growing wide with panic.

Her hands ablaze, Elena bent down and grabbed the body of the bridge steadily with both hands.

"NOOo!" Sully screamed. He dove at her, arms outstretched...

... Only to collide with Chloe as she hurtled herself through the air in front of Elena.

They fell in a heap together on the ground. Chloe managed to get the upper hand, locking Sullivan's hands behind his back tightly.

"Not so fast" Chloe sneered into his ear. "This is a woman's job"

As the bridge burnt, the cries of a hundred soldiers ripped through the cavern, bouncing of walls. Wails that at first sounded like human screaming changed very quickly into demonic screeches of terror.

The men slithered and writhed to the floor, clutching their heads as the body of the bridge burnt ferociously and fast. Under her hands, Sully shook and jolted in pain.

Meanwhile, Elena stood perfectly still, watching the situation unfold carefully. Her eyes began to fade back to normal as the sounds of screams gradually died down and the men falling to their knees were beginning to look around in confusion. They stared down at their hands, looking at each other in disbelief.

They were back.

Elena's hands extinguished and she fell to her knees, resting her hand on Nate's cold cheek.

His eyes were blank and lifeless, skin pale and his lips slightly parted. A tear fell from Elena's eye as she touched his face affectionately, adoringly. His eyes did not even flutter as her tears rained against his cheek. The murmurs of confusion from the soldiers grew silent, becoming an audience to this heartbreaking scene.

"Elena..." Chloe moved forward and put her arms around the girl tightly.

"I'm so sorry"

"Nate?"

Sully had awoken. He pushed past Chloe, staring in amazement at the scene in front of him.

"Oh God" he choked. "What... what happened to him?"

"He's dead" Chloe answered quietly and Sully moaned in agony. Her eyes moistening with tears.

Elena simply turned and smiled at them.

"It's not over yet" she said mysteriously.

Chloe stiffened at her smile. Something about it made her shiver inside.

"Elena... the spirit..." Chloe said, eyes opening wide. " it's still inside of you"

Elena nodded and grinned wider.

Chloe put a hand against Sully's chest and pushed him back roughly with her hands.

"You can fight this" Chloe stammered, swallowing her fear. "You can get rid of it"

"But I don't want to Chloe" she whispered.

"You see, I remember something the spirit said earlier that seems to be extremely relevant right now" Elena continued. She raised her hands in front of her face and flexed her fingers experimentally. "I am the bringer of life, I am the destroyer of life"

Chloe frowned, glancing down at Nate's limp body in her arms. Suddenly, a small smile played at the corners of her mouth.

"You beat it. Didn't you" Chloe asked incredulously

Sully looked confused. "Wait a god dam minute here" he growled. "What's going on Elena?"

Her grin grew wider "I have trapped the spirit within me. I have control of its power and I intend to use it to bring Nate back"

"How?"

Elena leant down close to Nate's face.

"Like this" she whispered.

Her lips lightly skimmed the surface of his, her hand circling the back of his head. A steady white light seemed to emit from her lips. The illumination began to spread down from Nathan's lips to the bottom of his feet until he was completely submersed and bathed in the glow...  
_  
__**Last chapter coming soon**__  
_


	25. Small beginnings

**Chapter Twenty Five**

**Small Beginnings**

* * *

"Greatness from small beginnings"

Nate felt Sir Francis Drake step behind and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, reassuringly.

Just moments earlier, Elena had flickered out of sight and out of his embrace. Nate's fingers still felt as though they were locked in her soft blond hair and he refused to move them for fear of losing this moment.

A gulf of emotion and pain ripped through his insides as he clutched in vain to the last memory he would ever have of the woman he loved.

Already, her image was fading from his mind. Was her right eyebrow slightly higher than her left or was it the other way round? What side was her dimple on? He frantically squeezed his eyes shut, recreating her figure in his mind. He had to focus or he would lose her forever.

And forever she would be lost. Nate's heart sank as her beautiful smile faded into obscurity as thoughts he had been forcing himself to repress came to the surface of his consciousness.

He would spend an eternity in the fog.

_Without her._

Nate stared at the spot where Elena had vanished. He sighed and turned towards Sir Francis Drake whose hand was still resting on his bare shoulder for comfort.

Startled, Nate took a step back. The man in front of him was a complete stranger. Light eyes, dark hair with graying hues and a narrow face. The man was fairly young, but his eyes were weary, the eyes of an old soul.

There was something unmistakably familiar about his smile, slightly crooked, turned up at the top lip. The man smothered his hands over his royal blue garments and look pointedly at Nate.

"It's good to be me again" Drake drawled. "Although I rather enjoyed inhabiting your body for a while"

"Well, I certainly won't miss those tights" Nate said with a small smile. "Glad I'm not stuck in those for eternity"

Drake laughed, his voice lighter and softer than Nate had imagined.

Nate rubbed his hands together. "So, what should we do today? We have forever, so let's not go nuts right away. Is there a bar or a bowling alley here?"

Drake smiled sadly. "I'm sorry about Elena"

Nate raised his eyebrow. He opened his mouth to say something then promptly closed it again.

"I don't really wanna talk about it" he said shortly. Nate folded his arms to his bare chest defensively.

Drake lifted his hands into the air comically. "We will have to talk about it sooner or later Nathaniel. We will no doubt run out of topics to discuss fast"

Nate scowled in reply.

"You sacrificed everything for Elena. You died for her-"

"-Because she is the one" interrupted Nate. He pointed a finger to emphasise his point. He lowered his hand in defeat. "Well, she was the one.."

"You speak so freely here" contemplated Drake.

Nate frowned. "What do you mean?"

Drake shrugged with nonchalance. "You never told Elena how deep your feelings for her went until you were here. Until you were dead"

Nate stared at Drake, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"That was the first time you have told her? That you loved her I mean?" Drake questioned.

"If you're suggesting.."

"Suggesting what?"

Nate took a deep breath. "If you're suggesting that I only told her I loved her because I was dead you're wrong"

"No I don't believe I am wrong" countered Drake. "Why is it only until you had died did you fully have the courage to tell her?"

"What are you? My shrink? Are you gonna psycho-analyse me for eternity because I'm not cool with that"

"Why tell her you love her now? Why not 6 months ago?"

Nate shook his head. "Because... because I'm not an emotional kind of guy. I don't wear my heart on my sleeve"

"I beg to differ"

Drake reached down to Nate's limp hand, lifting it slowly. He took hold of Nate's wrist before gently turning his arm inward.  
As Nate's arm turned, the black ink of an old tattoo was revealed, beginning just under the crook of his arms and finishing a few inches below.

It was hidden from view, from a distance appearing as a shadow his arm casted. It was covered with dirt and grime that had accumulated from sleeping in a tree the night before, up to the events in the cave moments ago. Nevertheless, the tiny text was clear and visible.

_"Greatness from small beginnings_" Drake echoed.

"Yeah.." Nate said, somewhat embarrassed he was meeting the man whose famous words were etched permanently onto his arm. "So what?, I like it"

"When did you get this? After the first escapade on this island?"

Nate shook his head. "No" he said slowly. "I got it.. a few years ago"

"why?" prompted Drake.

Nate hesitated. He was silent.

"Your mother used to quote that line to you when you were young" Drake answered when it was clear Nate didn't have a thing to say. "She would tell you it, whenever you were down or had lost faith in yourself"

"You've been sneaking around in my memories!"

"I didn't have to Nate" Drake scoffed. He pointed his finger at Nate's chest, pushing him back. "It's written all over your face. You got that tattoo to remember her. To remember your mother after she died"

"Ok" Nate said angrily. "Ok so yeah. It's a memorial tattoo I got for my mum. Now is there a point to all this or am I gonna have to spend eternity avoiding you?"

"You fear it. You fear love"

"This is bullshit"

"Love to you Nathaniel is all about sacrifice. You truly believe that to love someone is to suffer"

"This is ridiculous"

"You loved your father. You admired him, you wanted to be him. But he abandoned you and your love. You lost your childhood, wondering why he left, if or when he was coming back."

"You loved your mother. You gave up your studies to take care of her. But she died, she left you alone. You lost your career, your future

"And now, Your giving up your life to save Elena's"

"I had to. It was the only way" Nate argued.

Drake stood directly in front of Nate, placing both hands on his shoulders.

"Whenever there has been love in your life there has been loss. And now, you cannot seem to separate the two"

"I'm loving this little D and M we're having here" Nate said sarcastically. "But what good is this to me now anyway?"

He tried to push Drake off his arms and turn away but Drake grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

Nate refused to look Drake in the eyes, instead staring at his hand. "I'm dead. I'm dead and I'll never be happy" his voice wavered slightly with the truth of his words.

"Look at your tattoo" Drake said gently. "Look at those words. That is the proof. This proves you have the ability to acknowledge that you love someone"

Nate glanced at his arm. "Those aren't even my words"

"They are as much yours now as they were once mine" Drake said smiling.

Nate stared at them, surprised that the letters were going out of focus. He suddenly realised his eyes were filling with tears. He could feel his emotions bubbling at the surface, wanting to break through, wanting to scream. Nate tried to forge a wall in his mind, attempting to block them out but he could feel more tears springing behind his eyes. He felt nauseated and breathless with the effort. Finally, his wall collapsed and he fell to his knees.

"Elena.." Nate choked. His hands covered his face, a tear finally making its way out of his eye and rolling slowly down his cheek.

"Oh God.. I should have told you.. I should have told you everyday" he whispered, his shoulders shaking.

Drake cocked his head suddenly to one side.

"Do you hear that?" he asked.

A disembodied voice wafted through the breeze like a leaf caught in an updraft. It sailed though Nate's senses, tingling down his spine and warming his chest. He lifted his head out of his hands, looking around in amazement.

"What.. what is that?" he asked astonished. "Is that...Elena's voice?"

"She's calling for you.." Drake said simply.

"Now is the time.."

"Answer her back"

Nate touched his lips as he felt something brush past them. He opened his mouth to say something but suddenly his back arched and his head exploded with pain.

With sudden jolt, Nate's world was thrown upside down. A powerful fire was igniting in his chest and spreading throughout his entire body. He tried to scream, but no sound came out.  
The fog was fading fast, and his world orientated again. He became aware he was lying on his back, his head resting on cold, smooth rocks.

The fire inside his chest began to subside as Nate took his first shaky breath. His body spasmed with the effort and his lips were tingling like crazy.

-  
-

He groaned and attempted to move his arms but found they were being restrained by someone else's.

_"Don't move"_ a voice wavered into his consciousness like a radio with bad reception.

"_Is he ok?"_

_"My God. She did it"_

_"Can you hear us?"  
_  
Nate struggled to make sense of the scene surrounding him. Voices were rapidly turning to white noise in his head until something suddenly focused his attention.

Her hair.

He could just make out the familiar waves of angel hair. He smiled drunkenly, as he lifted his arms to reach out for her.. to touch her.

He squinted and tried to sit up. He could dimly see what he thought was her beautiful and beyond perfect smile...

"I love you" he rasped, eyes wide and blinking fast.

"Er.. thanks kiddo I love you too" said Sully's confused voice.

It took a moment to realise Nate was looking in the wrong direction, and the golden waves of angel hair were in fact Sully's. Nate shook his head, trying to clear it, embarrassment creeping into his face, reddening slightly. Sully had a look of concern on his face unmistakably masked by sheer amusement.

"Elena.. I meant... you know I love you too Sully, you know I think you got a great ass" Nate said sheepishly

Sully laughed. "He's back"

"Elena's a little busy right now" Chloe said, looking nervously behind her. "Come on, lets get you up"

Chloe and Sully both gave Nate some support as he struggled to his feet. As he found his bearings, he became aware of the hundred or so marine soldiers surrounding them. They were eerily quiet, hands folded in apprehension, some looking at Nate nervously, others in complete disbelief at his sudden return to life.

His body was shaking, his chest covered in blood. Wearily, he looked down at himself, surprised to find no wound visible.

"How...?" was all he could muster.

"Shh" said Chloe. She pointed at a lone figure standing in front of the El Dorado statue.

"Watch your Goddess do her work"

A hundred eyes were locked on to the small woman surpassed by the enormous tower of the idol. Nate watched in shock as Elena's body suddenly glowed white with power. Her hands outstretched, Elena's lips mouthed an incomprehensible and unbelievably fast stream of words, her voice vibrating through the cavern walls with a rumble.

At once, a loud crack like lightning bounced and echoed off the walls.

She had split the El Dorado idol in two,

Her hands trembling slightly, she brought them back down her side and appeared to be taking long deep breaths.

The cavern erupted alive with sounds of cheering and applause. Nate turned his head in amazement, remembering the fact that they were definitely not alone in the cave. A hundred marine soldiers cheered loudly, embracing each other, finally completely free of their ordeal. In the distance, Nate could make out Hawkins standing towards the back. He raised his hand in a casual salute to Nate and Nate followed with a nod. Hawkins smiled slightly and turned to continue celebrating with his men.

Somehow, in Nate's mind he knew Elena had released the Soul Aletor. Broken the curse and freed the souls bound to it for eternity. He lifted his head to the ceiling of the cave, thoughts of Sir Francis Drake finally being liberated from his prison.

"Thank you" Nate murmured, wondering if his spirit could hear his thanks.

"So you're back?" a voice called.

Nate lowered his head and found Elena standing right in front of him, a sheepish, embarrassed smile on her face. His heart just about jumped a mile.

"Look at you, Miss Superwoman" Nate joked. He gestured for Sully and Chloe to let him go.

She shrugged. "Yeah.. I guess so" she said her face turning crimson.

"You are amazing. You know that right?"

Her face turned a deeper red. "You're not so bad yourself. I thought I lost you in there"

"Well, I'm lucky you were able to pull me out" he said, playfully punching her.

Elena shook her head. "But I didn't" she said.

Nate frowned. "But then.. how did I get out of limbo?"

"I used the spirits power. I healed you, then I tried to bring you back to life but I couldn't.." her voice cracked at the memory.

"I thought you were gone forever. But then suddenly, you came back" Her eyes went soft, a tear trickling down her face. "You brought yourself out Nate" she said with a smile.

Nate's mouth opened in agape. His heart hammered in his chest. Could he really have pulled himself out of there? He shook his head. There would be plenty of time to worry about that later.

"I love you" he whispered. He pulled her in closer and pressed his lips to hers.

"I love you too"

The sun was gently rising in the distance and its light streamed though the caves entrance and illuminated only their entwined figures, making them appear as though they were glowing with a golden haze. The marines slowly made their way out of the cavern, shielding their eyes from the sun's harsh glare as Chloe and Sully smirked at the two lovebirds

"Let's give them a minute" Sully whispered to Chloe, pulling her towards the exit.

"They'll have to come up for air soon"

**Concluding chapter coming soon!  
**


	26. Greatness

**Chapter Twenty six**

**Greatness  
**

* * *

"Good aftern- ahem... Is this thing on?"

Professor Jeffreys tapped the microphone impatiently causing a rapid succession of loud thumps to echo through the auditorium.

Of course, the sound could not compete with the loud thumping of Nate's heart, which was pounding in his chest like a jackhammer. He stood nervously, shifting the weight off one foot to the other, his hands creasing the corners of his hastily written speech.

The auditorium was stuffy and Nate knew that had little to do with the humidity outside. The air was thick with undeniable tension; Nate thought he could probably just about slice it with a knife. A set of heavily armed policemen armed with tranquilizer guns, (he had been assured) were watching his every move. Their eyes were narrow, darting back and forth in complete synchronisation.

Professor Jefferys had seemed keen for Nate to return to the University provided there was some sort of security present. Nate didn't quite expect to see so many guards and so many defenses set in place, but he was grateful none the less for the chance to prove himself.

Naturally, Nate had Elena to thank for today, the opportunity to finish the speech he started all those weeks ago. It seemed as though Elena's father, the renowned psychologist Dr Fischer, was more than happy to provide documented evidence explaining Nathan's behavior was no more than a minor psychotic episode brought on by stress and attributed with sleep deprivation. According to the forms, Nate had undergone 4 weeks stay at his psychiatric unit at Madeline State Psychiatric Hospital and was subsequently discharged, stating no further treatment was necessary.

Nate couldn't help but smile. He remembered looking at the forms from Dr Fisher and noticing distinct similarities between the handwriting of Dr Fisher and Elena. She remained coy about how she had gotten hold of the documents, fixing Nate with a sly smile and a _"Don't ask"_ look.

He grinned wider as he spotted her in the front row. She gave him a quick wave and a smile of reassurance. Instantly, Nate's head felt clear and his nerves died down.

"It is my greatest pleasure" Professor Jefferys paused into the microphone. "To once again, invite Nathaniel Drake to the stage"

Nate took a deep breath, glancing around at the expectant students. He couldn't help but notice there were more than last time. Some held camera phones up, just waiting for Nate to flip out again and post it online. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"The last time I was here, we spoke about love" Nate started, his voice strong and steady.

"Love was the main thing I urged you guys to take with you when you work in the field. I told you to step away from your textbooks and remember why you decided to study archaeology in the first place"

"I said that to love something or someone is to completely understand it.. But I was wrong"

A few people looked around confused. A couple started scribbling madly in their notebooks and even a few with cameras hesitated, lowering them slightly.

"I have realised something equally as important than love that you must all have at all times in order to completely understand and appreciate historic artifacts and temples you will discover and unearth"

"Fear"

A few eyebrows were raised. Nate spotted the chubby girl from his last visit eyeing him suspiciously. She curled her lower lip up and slightly rolled her eyes. Nate resisted the urge to grab the podium and throw it at her. .

"Fear is essential. It keeps you on your toes. It keeps what matters most in perspective" he glanced at Elena who blushed in return.

"Having fear and love is having a complete understanding of something. Knowing and understanding the risks, while appreciating the beauty. Love can cloud your judgment. Love can override rationality "

"So my advice is to be afraid. Let adrenaline overtake you, let it sharpen your senses let it excite you and let it terrify you"

Nate paused as the chubby girls hand suddenly sprung into the air. Once again, she held on to it with her other hand for support. Nate scowled slightly.

"I'm not taking questions"

"But.."

"I'm not taking questions" he repeated firmly.

The large woman looked dejected, a blush of crimson filling her round pudgy face. Nate saw Elena raise her hand to her lips to stiffen a giggle.

He paused to take a sip of water, watching the students through the grainy glass as the liquid rose and engulfed their image. Something caught his eye at the back of the room, causing him to choke and splutter. Water dripped from his mouth as he started in utter shock .

It was Francis Drake.

He was unmistakably standing at the back of the auditorium.

Nate's face turned ashen, his mouth agape. A small squeak emitted from his throat as jolts of adrenaline danced down his legs.

The police men guarding the entrance suddenly sprung alert, glancing suspiciously at Nate, watching him for his next move. Students were looking around, slightly alarmed at the abrupt halt. Phones came up again, recording the situation. They squirmed in their set, murmurs of low concerned chatter dispersing like a small wave.

Nate's eyes were still fixated on Francis Drake, who simply stared back with an amused smile. He bowed his head slightly, and in a flash he was gone.

Nate felt his chest tingle slightly with a pleasant warmth. He glanced down the neck of his white shirt, pulling it aside with shaky fingers.

The burn was gone.

There was no trace of the scar that Nate had gotten on this very stage 6 weeks ago. The burn that had shaped itself in the form of Francis Drake's ring had completely erased from his skin. He looked down in amazement before realising where he was and how silly he must look on stage in front of 200 people. He hastily fixed his collar and wiped his brow.

"Love is a powerful voice in your heart that can pull you through anything-" Nate continued.

"-But fear is that voice in your head that forces you to think about consequences. That voice in your head that questions everything. Listen to it"

"That is what I leave you with today. You need to decide what path you will take as an explorer. The path of fear, or the path of love. If there is anything you take from my speech today, it is this. Take both. Thank you"

With a final nod to the audience, Nate stepped off the platform. A roar of applause followed him, some students standing in their seats, whistling. Nate couldn't help but beam at the response. Professor Jefferys eventually calmed the class down and dismissed them. He nodded to Nate, obviously impressed with his speech. Nate practically glowed with pride and nodded back.

He spied Elena lingering near the back exit. She was grinning enormously, her eyes flashing with excitement.

"You were amazing out there" Elena said, pulling him in for a quick embrace.

"Couldn't have done it without you" he kissed the tip of her nose.

The auditorium started to gradually empty as students left for the day. A few approached Nate for questions or just to shake his hand. One student asked for him to autograph his mother's textbook. He obliged with a surprised smile, skimming a quick signature on the contents page before hesitating and adding "Greatness from small beginnings" underneath.

"Drakes words?" queried Elena peering over his shoulder.

Nate looked thoughtfully at the spot where just a moment ago, Francis Drake had been standing, clear as day.

"They're my words now" he mused. He cleared his throat, looking embarrassed, and ran his hand through his dark hair.

"She would have been proud Nate" Elena said softly. She gestured towards the textbook in Nate's hand. He ran his fingers gently over the gold blazing letters that dominated the cover. _By Sandra Drake_

Nate nodded and gave an embarrassed smile. "Yeah, I think maybe she would" he said, handing the book back to the student.

He suddenly scooped her off her feet and she gave a squeal of protest. She playfully punched his arm but he held on tight.

"Now, where to next?" he asked, swinging her back and forth. "I was thinking maybe the Australian outback or there's a few temples in Egypt I've been dying to re visit..."

"Ahem" a voice behind them cleared its throat.

Professor Jefferys was watching their public display of affection with raised eyebrows.

"You're enrollment was issued through the system this morning Mr Drake. Will I see you at class Monday morning?" he asked.

Nate gave a sheepish smile. "Of course sir. Thank you sir. I'll be there. I'm finishing this degree even if I drop dead... again"

Professor Jefferys eyes widened slightly before giving Nate a confused look and walking off. Elena stifled a giggle as they watched the old man peer back cautiously at them over his shoulder.

Nate clapped his hands together. "Now... where were we?"

-  
**THE END!**

**Thanks everyone for reading. I know it took a long time to finish, I had a brief 3 month hiatus where I went travelling to Europe, so I apologise. I do hope you enjoyed my story and I thank everyone for taking the time to read and especially to give feedback because it totally spurs me on and also gives me some great advice.**

**if you have any qs regarding the plot or anything like that, please don't hesitate to ask.  
Sariah  
**


End file.
